Town grapples with loss of popular day-care provider
Michelle Thompson died in car crash Friday
By Pat Caldwell
Argus Observer
Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:29 PM PST
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| Three New Plymouth children write on the banners outside The Rainbow Room in New Plymouth. This small town is still reeling after news that the longtime owner of the daycare center, Michelle Thompson, died in a car accident Friday. |
New Plymouth — Many people Saturday in this small Payette County town were still reeling from the news a longtime local day-care provider died in a tragic accident Friday.
Michelle Thompson, 53, who operated The Rainbow Room and served as a day-care provider for several generations of youth in New Plymouth, died in a car crash near Loman Friday.
“This is an extremely hard loss for this community,” Jeanette Mayer, a New Plymouth resident said Saturday afternoon.
Thompson died after her car slid off of Idaho Highway 21 and slammed into a tree next to the road.
Mayer said she learned of the crash late Friday, and early Saturday morning she created several banners in remembrance and placed them on the front windows of the day-care center situated on New Plymouth’s main street.
“I put the banners up to have a living memory,” Mayer said. “That way the community could share in the loss.”
Thompson was a fixture in New Plymouth after operating her day-care and preschool for at least 14 years.
“She was a legacy. She was family,” Mayer said.
New Plymouth resident Mary Ray, who operates Happy Feet day-care and preschool on New Plymouth’s main street, said Thompson was always ready to lend a helping hand.
Ray said Thompson also watched her children until she started her own day-care.
Ray said she was still in shock Saturday regarding Thompson’s death.
“We’ve lost one of the most wonderful day-care providers and people in New Plymouth,” Ray said.
Ray said Thompson was instrumental when she started her business by providing key advice. She said Thompson would leave behind a rich heritage that will be hard to surpass.
“Michelle was an amazing person. I can try my best, but I’ll never be able to match her. She was an amazing woman,” Ray said.
Mayer said Thompson was the type of person who continued to keep track of the children she watched as they moved forward in grade school and high school.
“She would support the kids after they left her day-care. She would make it to birthday parties for the kids she had watched,” Mayer said.
Like Ray, Mayer said she also placed her children in the Rainbow Room day-care for many years.
“She watched my baby grow up,” Mayer said. “She was an angel. Any family she touched, she blessed them.”
Ray said she journeyed down to the Rainbow Room Saturday afternoon. Already, the sidewalk before The Rainbow Room’s big picture window has been decorated with candles, banners and flowers. From time to time, people and children stopped by and wrote on the banners.
“It’s really sad to go down there and know she is not there anymore,” Ray said.
Shellie Eaton wrote on Dec 11, 2008 4:44 PM: