Those who touch our lives, stay in our hearts forever.
Obituary
Lillian Marie Thompson — known as “Lil” to her family and “Lee” to her closest friends — passed peacefully, surrounded by love, on January 12, 2026, following a long battle with ovarian cancer, at Inova Alexandria Hospice.
Lee was born on April 16, 1943, in Vallejo, California, the youngest of five children and the only daughter of Velma Rasmussen and Reynaldo Mattioda.
Lee was a woman of fierce determination and quiet strength. She endured hardship without complaint, carried pain without display, and met life head-on with a feisty spirit and unwavering resolve. Though she was private by nature, she was deeply compassionate — a careful listener who offered understanding, wisdom, and advocacy to anyone who needed it. She had a rare ability to make people feel both seen and protected.
Above all, Lee was a grandmother, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend — roles she did not wear lightly. She loved deeply and showed it through her actions: remembering the little things, honoring where she came from, and never failing to acknowledge those who helped her along the way. If you received a handmade or thoughtfully chosen gift from Lee, you knew you mattered.
Lee lived her life guided by a belief she carried from devoting over forty years to union service: Solidarity — standing with others, protecting dignity, and never leaving someone behind. Even as she faced a fractured spine, advanced stage-four cancer, and immense physical decline, Lee never stopped advocating for others. During her time in rehabilitation, she became a voice for those who felt unseen and unheard — challenging mistreatment, demanding accountability, and insisting on dignity for all.
On the very day she was cleared to leave rehabilitation, Lee met with facility administrators to advocate for better care for her fellow patients. During that meeting, she suffered a catastrophic stroke that took her mobility and her voice — but not her impact. Her story, courage, and determination quickly spread through the emergency department and later among the many hospital staff who cared for her.
Even without words, Lee continued to communicate volumes. With a gentle smile or a hand held to her cheek, she showed love. In contrast, a single glance of her legendary “stink eye” made her expectations and disappointments unmistakably clear.
In her final days, although Lee could no longer return to the home where she envisioned ending her days, she found home in something deeper — holding her daughters’ hands, tasting small joys like whipped cream, listening to her daughters laugh, watching them gather together in rare harmony, and knowing she was profoundly loved.
Throughout her daughters’ lives, she had often reminded them:
“You may not always have everything you want, but you’ll always have everything you need.”
At her passing, Lee not only had everything she needed — the love of her children — she also had everything she wanted: her dignity and the integrity with which she lived. She left behind an enduring legacy of courage, compassion, advocacy, and strength — and a community forever changed by her presence.
Lee was preceded in death by her brothers, George "Tony", and Morris, her parents Renaldo "Ray" and Velma, and her son Erik. She is survived by her brothers John (Darlene), and Ron "Naldo" (Mary), her daughters Stacey Phillips, and Cynthia Thompson, her grandson Austin, and her granddaughters Chase and Rylee.
Lee lived by a principle older than words, but evident in every fight she chose:
In Solidarity,
An Injury to One Is an Injury to All!
From her daughter, Stacey:
From the moment she took her last breath, I felt like I did too. It will be incredibly difficult to be without her, but she prepared me for this moment, and I take comfort knowing she will always be around guiding me with her love.
From her daughter, Cynthia:
It was an honor and a privilege to walk beside my mother in the final steps of her life’s journey.
Lee was unique, extraordinary, and deeply loved.
She will never be forgotten.
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