Born in Saskatchewan in 1924, Thelma Thompson left the farmlands of the prairies at the age of 17 to assist with the war effort in Ajax, Ontario. Working at Defense Industries Ltd., each of the production lines had sports teams and Thelma was quickly introduced to both softball and 5 pin bowling and she was a natural at both activities.

Following the war, Thelma moved to Toronto and was soon employed by the Toronto Transit Commission. On the sports side, Thelma was playing ball with the best ladies at Coxwell Stadium and also continued her bowling career at several popular Toronto establishments such as O’Connor Bowl and the old Ace Bowl at Pape and Danforth. The ladies city major league bowled at Karry’s on Terauley St. and, while her team captain was Hall of Famer Marge Bentley, the competition included several other Hall of Famers, including Mabel McDowell, Lorrie Bates, Doris Luke and Millie Evans.

Thelma married Bill Thompson in 1952 and with a job offer from Canadian General Electric in Kitchener, the family moved and Thelma took her blossoming bowling skills with her. Thelma joined the Saturday ladies traveling league and also mid-week leagues at Waterloo and Towne Bowl. On December 5, 1965, their Intercity team from Waterloo, the Reitmans, bowled a Canadian three game record of 4056 and Thelma’s teammates were Joan Chrysafidis, Joan Pickard, Barb Mitchell and Helen Bolduc. This record score stood for eleven years. League high average titles came easily and Thelma advanced to tournament play, winning the aggregate championship at the Waterloo All Events Tournament in 1967 with a nine game score of 2424. In 1974, Thelma defeated Hall of Famer Charlene MacCormack at the CNE in Toronto to win the $500.00 top prize in the first annual bowling competition conducted by the Ontario Bowlers Congress at the Exhibition.

Overall, Thelma bowled in fifteen Opens and was a singles representative for Conestoga nine times. Thelma qualified for the mixed team in 1965, the first year that the event was conducted by the bowlers under the Ontario Bowlers’ Congress banner. On two occasions, 1971 and 1974, Thelma won the zone in the Open qualifying but was unable to advance due to circumstances beyond her control. However, in 1972 and 1979, Thelma was able to compete and was victorious both times. In 1972 at O’Connor Bowl, Thelma defeated another Conestoga bowler, Jo Feick, to win the first prize and another $500.00 first prize. Thelma finished fourth nationally and also received a special citation from the City of Kitchener for her achievement. In 1979, Thelma lost the Ontario singles crown by a mere five pins to Jill Phillips, but her ladies team won provincial honours and traveled to Vancouver. While the ladies were not victorious in the west, Thelma was rewarded with a selection to the national All Star Team.

Buoyed by this success, Thelma joined the Master Bowlers Association and in her first year averaged 237, but, following the passing of her husband Bill in 1977, her heart was into the weekend tournament travel.

Married for 25 years, Thelma and Bill raised two children, Darlene and John, and, today, Thelma enjoys two granddaughters, Rebecca and Leah.

On the lanes, Thelma continues to bowl and, while enjoying a large circle of friends, still carries a respectable average.