Elk Grove Village, IL - Billie Jeanne (nee DeGrasse) Thomson, 82, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, with her loving family by her side.

Billie was born on Nov. 30, 1942 in Chicago to William and Dorothy DeGrasse. She was raised on the South Side, where she met the love of her life, Kenneth, at Thoburn United Methodist Church. They started dating in 1957. She graduated from Lindblom High School and would attend Augustana College with Ken in Rock Island, Ill. They would marry on June 6, 1964.

Billie and Ken would build a life together in Elk Grove Village where they would raise their family of 10 children. She would fill their childhood homes with her arts and crafts, music and the love and care that she would instill in her classrooms later in life. It was also in Elk Grove where her and Ken would become integral members of Prince of Peace Methodist Church. It was there where Billie would hold various roles, including managing the nursery, coordinating church plays, singing in the choir and partnering with Ken in running the MYF youth group.

As her children were growing up, Billie built a new legacy in education, where she continued to display her passion for young children as a preschool teacher at the Hattendorf Center in Elk Grove Village and for many years at Jefferson School in Park Ridge as a special needs educator. She managed to also earn her Master's Degree in Education at Roosevelt University, all while continuing to raise young adults at home.

Having made an immesurable impact on countless lives as a teacher, she would retire in 2013 where she would continue to spread her unconditional love and kindness to her growing family as grandchildren and great-grandchildren were added to the mix.

Her world extended to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and the family summer home in Lake Geneva where countless memories were formed and cherished. Beyond her family and her classroom, her passions were the music of John Denver, serenading her loved ones with her piano and guitar playing, her Jeep Wrangler and the Chicago White Sox. But in the end, it was her devotion to her family that kept her Forever Young.

Billie was the beloved wife of 61 years to Ken; adoring mother to Michael (Teresa) Thomson, Cheri (Rick) Leidig, Kelly (Dave) Bryla, Beth (Scott) Stiff, Shani (Phil) Stahnke, Jeff (Laurie) Thomson, Erin (Joe) Cranston, Heather (Jay) Nordin, Keith Thomson and Kevin (Amy) Thomson; cherished Grandma Beej to 23 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; and proud Dog Mom to three mini-daschunds.

She was preceded in death by her loving parents, William and Dorothy DeGrasse.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, Nov. 29 at Garden Terrace at the Pavilion, 1000 Wellington Ave., Elk Grove Village, from 1 to 4pm, with a service at 2:30pm. For those unable to attend in person, there will also be a live feed of the service at https://tinyurl.com/billiejeannethomson

Billie was long dedicated to helping children with autism, as both an educator and Grandma to those on the spectrum. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent in Billie's memory to Autism Society of America at autismsociety.org/donate. The family also wishes to extend it's gratitude to the many caretakers and nurses at Journey Care Pepper Family Hospice Care in Barrington, Ill. for their wonderful care of Billie during her final days.

Billie will be remembered forever for the endless love and kindness that she spread to all facets of her life. To those who were fortunate to be close to her. To strangers. To nature. To the world around her. She lived life in full embrace of the things that she believed in: How right it is to love someone. How right it is to care.