Erin Kelley Thompson

Erin Kelley Thompson, 61, of Athens, Ohio, passed away unexpectedly Jan. 13, 2023, in the company of her husband, Christopher (Chris), following a health emergency.

Born November 22, 1961, in Providence, RI, Erin grew-up in Ridgewood, NJ, and moved to  Athens in 1998. She worked as an executive assistant and dean’s office liaison in the College of Arts & Sciences at Ohio University, where she had held two other positions previously. Prior to her work at OU, Erin was office manager at Athens First United Methodist Church from 1999 to 2009.

Erin graduated from Earlham College (Richmond, IN) in 1984 with a B. A. in Japanese studies. Before coming to Athens with her husband for his assistant professor position at OU, Erin held a series of specialized and unique positions related to her Earlham degree.  The two most prominent of these jobs were her staff associate position (1988-1994) at Subaru Isuzu Automotive and her two different appointments to the Tōwa-chō Board of Education in Iwate, Japan (1985-1987; 1994-1996), where she worked as an English education specialist. Erin was a fluent speaker of Japanese.

Erin was a staunch lifelong member of the United Methodist Church and member (with Chris and children Wesley and Bailey) of Athens First United Methodist Church, where she played in the bell choir. She and her husband were married in 1988 at the First United Methodist Church in West Lafayette, IN. Erin and Chris had just celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary on Dec. 30, 2022.

Erin is preceded in death by son Wesley. She is survived by her husband and daughter, she and her husband’s siblings and their families, and her parents. A Celebration of Life Service will be held in Erin’s honor at the Athens First United Methodist Church on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Wesley Lawrance Thompson (WLT) Memorial Scholarship in International Business Erin championed for her late son.

Please share a memory, a note of condolence, or sign the online register at www.jagersfuneralhome.com.