Mercedes A. Thompson

Mercedes Angela Thompson entered the gates of heaven on June 10, 2025. Mercedes is survived by her mother, Dorothy Smith; stepfather, Rodney Smith; brother, Robert Thompson( Tracie Howard); special niece and pride of her life, TeAnna "Te" Thompson; best friend of 50 years, Rebecca Steinhauser; half-brother, Jason Thompson (Nina); honorary sister, Rachel Moore(Rev. Dwight); honorary brother, Jonathan Steinhauser (Jessica Palitti); and a host of blood and honorary nieces and nephews in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Oklahoma. Mercedes was predeceased by her grandmother, Dorothy Howell, in 1983; father, Jeffrey Thompson Sr,. in 1988; special aunt, Carolyn Martin, in 2001; honorary mother, Virginia Steinhauser, in 2011; honorary father, Rev. John Steinhauser, in 2017; brother, Jeffrey Thompson Jr. in 2018, and half-sister, Victoria Thompson, in 2022.
Mercedes was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, on March 22, 1968, and grew up in Jamestown, New York. Mercedes met her best friend, Rebecca "Becky "Steinhauser, in Jamestown in 1975, at age 7. The Thompson family was the only Black family moving into a previously all-white neighborhood. Not all the neighbors were welcoming. Some of the parents would not allow their children to play with Mercedes. When Becky's mother, Virginia, heard that there were parents forbidding their children to play with Mercedes, she directed her daughter to go up the street and ask the new girl out to play. It didn't take long before the children who were told not to play with Mercedes were disobeying parental orders and playing with her secretly. The kids in her neighborhood were immediately able to see the intrinsic value in Merc. Her beautiful soul, her generosity, her compassion, her humor, and her kindness. Everybody wanted to be her friend. A beautiful friendship was born on the day that Merc and Becky met. A friendship that stood the test of time and transcended racial barriers, and a friendship that united two families. Becky's parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews loved Mercedes like a blood relative. Rev. Steinhauser once said, "I love it when Merc calls me Dad." Mercedes' parents, siblings, and niece also loved Becky like one of their own. Mercedes' mother, Dorothy, once introduced Mercedes and Becky as "my two daughters " Dorothy received a confused question from the person to whom she was making the introduction, "Oh, was Becky's father white?" Her reply was immediate, "Yes, he was. " She walked off without further explanation. Mercedes joked that she was the dark sister of the Steinhauser family and Becky was the light sister of the Thompson family. Becky and Merc had an incredible friendship. They were joined at the hip from early childhood, fiercely loyal and supportive to each other. Many classmates said, "I just couldn't think of one of them without thinking of the other. They were always together."
Mercedes was a 1986 graduate of Jamestown High School and a 1996 graduate of Wright State University. Mercedes was hired at Advocates for Basic Legal Equality as a Domestic Violence Advocate in 1997. She was hired for this position after she visited Becky on the job. At the time, she had no idea there was an open position at the firm. On that day, Pamela Hayman Weaner, the person who would later become Mercedes' boss and dear friend, stopped by to chat with Becky and Mercedes in the hallway. After chatting with Mercedes for only 15 minutes, Pam was determined that she would be the perfect person for the new Domestic Violence Advocate position. It took only 15 minutes to convince Pam that nobody but Mercedes would do. Mercedes had that effect on people. She was charming, brilliant, witty, kind, and compassionate. She had a beautiful way of making people feel comfortable, welcome, and valued.
Pam's first impression of Mercedes ended up being right on the mark. She had the ideal attributes for working with domestic violence survivors. She gave survivors the strength and the courage to recognize their own self-worth and the confidence to escape their abusive relationships. And she never, ever judged them. Her work paid off in so many ways. Mercedes transformed the lives of countless individuals who walked through the doors of her office over the years.
Mercedes' career expanded far beyond that initial position. She spent the next 28 years doing public interest work in a variety of different capacities, including paralegal, benefit planner, and her final position as the Project Director for Project SAFE. In 2015, Mercedes was hired as the paralegal for the Stabilization and Independence for Survivors (SIS) Workgroup at Legal Aid of Western Ohio(LAWO). In this position she provided vital support to the attorneys and worked closely with survivors. In this position, she began working with survivors in a 32 county service area, not just the counties served by the Defiance office. Even though this work entailed additional time and effort, Mercedes always made sure she created space for every person who needed her time and attention. Nobody was just a name and a number to Mercedes. She made everyone feel important, regardless of their status in life.
In 2019, Mercedes was hired as the Project Director for Project SAFE (Safety and Accessibility for Everyone), a collaboration between ABLE, LAWO, and Bethany House Domestic Violence Shelter. The project focused on the many systemic barriers that can prevent clients from accessing justice. Mercedes was not shy about encouraging upper management to take a close and critical look at how they could be doing a better job in serving this vulnerable population. Many crucial improvements to all three organizations have been made through this project, including modifications to physical spaces, changes to how we offer services to clients, and the creation of a disability affinity group. Mercedes soon became widely respected and admired for her work on this project. Her former technical advisor said, "Mercedes was the sun that we all orbited around because she had that light, that energy, and that love."
In 2021, Project SAFE was honored with the Innovation Award, largely due to Mercedes' strong leadership of the project. Project SAFE was the first group to include a DEI component in their project, focusing on the unique needs of Black survivors. Mercedes was very passionate about DEI work, and not only with Project SAFE. She was a true DEI leader and was an outstanding teacher and example to her colleagues at LAWO and its sister organization, ABLE. Mercedes did this work with a beautiful blend of fierce advocacy, grace, patience, and compassion. She was never afraid to say what needed to be said, but she called people in, rather than calling them out, and created a more inclusive and welcoming environment for both colleagues and clients.
In 2022 and 2023, Mercedes was chosen to participate in two national trainings on promising practices for serving survivors of domestic violence. This was quite an honor for her organization. There were an unprecedented number of positive messages and praise for her presentation during both of those trainings. Mercedes was a very humble person who never sought the spotlight, but she stole the show during those presentations.
In August 2024, Mercedes was featured in the LAWO 70th anniversary documentary. She was featured throughout the documentary, and one of her statements was the concluding remark in the documentary, "I couldn't have come up with any more noble work. Every day, I'm working shoulder to shoulder and elbow to elbow in the trenches with others, making sure the scales of justice balance in favor of our clients." The remark from Mercedes perfectly summarized her life's work. It was valuable work. It was noble work. And she made a monumental difference in the lives of her clients and her coworkers. LAWO honored Mercedes with the Rock of Gibraltar award, an award that recognizes and celebrates the outstanding achievements of employees, in both 2007 and 2016. She was the first employee to ever win the award and the only employee to ever win the award twice. She was truly one of the finest soldiers in the fight for justice.
Mercedes was a devoted daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. She always said that her love language was gifts. Not receiving gifts. Giving gifts. If you were in Mercedes' circle, you no doubt received some of her gifts, both purchased and handmade. She was unfailingly generous with both her money and her time. She was very talented and could master just about any type of craft. Many of us will treasure the lovely jewelry, quilts, and crocheted blankets Mercedes made for us. They were made with love, and she always prayed over every blanket she made for a new baby.
When she wasn't crafting, Mercedes was a voracious reader. Books and reading were a frequent topic of conversation between Merc, her mother, Te, and Becky.
Mercedes was also known for her offbeat sense of humor. She could make even the most serious person burst into laughter. She could always liven up a routine day in the office with her unique "questions of the day". Her questions were creative and usually sparked loads of conversation and laughter.
Mercedes was a great listener, encourager, and confidante. She had a lovely way of boosting your confidence and talking you down off the ledge when you were in a crisis. There was nothing Mercedes would not do for her loved ones. Mercedes always said her friendship with Becky would last until the day they died. And so it did. Becky and Te were with Mercedes when she took her final breath, holding her hand, telling her how much she was loved and treasured, and playing one of her favorite songs, "I've Just Seen Jesus. "
Mercedes always said that when it was time for "Jesus to break the eastern sky of glory", she would not be looking back. She would follow him with no regrets. Just as she followed Jesus through life, consistently walking the true path of Christian love, she followed Jesus into the gates of heaven. Those of us who knew and loved Mercedes will miss her very much. But her impact and her influence lives on every day in each one of us and we aspire to do honor to the great legacy she left with her passing. Mercedes' name meant "merciful angel" and there was no name that could possibly be more fitting for such a kind and lovely person. Just as she was a merciful angel in life, we know that she will now be our merciful angel in spirit, watching over and loving all of us from heaven. Mercedes preferred laughter to tears. So, rather than a funeral, a celebration of life will be held at a later date. There will no doubt be a mixture of laughter and tears as we remember our merciful angel. Godspeed, Mercedes, until we meet again. We will love and miss you forever.
Schaffer Funeral Home was honored to assist the family with arrangements.
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