Jill Kraft Thompson

A native of Weiser, Idaho, Jill Kraft Thompson now lives in the mountains north of Boise. Shortly after the ninth anniversary with her husband, Barton Kraft, he and their two young sons, along with her mother and niece, died in an automobile accident that she survived. Four years later, she married again. Her second husband, John Thompson, never asked her to stop loving Bart. He even created their wedding rings to incorporate all of their birthstones. After much discussion and trepidation, the Thompsons added to their family. Today, at four years of age, Franklin says he’s excited to someday meet his brothers in heaven. Jill’s two families are now combined, allowing her to freely love her past while still having hope for the future. “The loss that occurred is horrible. But that was a split second of my life. The love lasts forever,” says Jill . She remains dedicated to helping women and men of all ages and backgrounds navigate the grief recovery process. " Jill Kraft Thompson is the author of Finding Jill: How I Rebuilt My Life after Losing the Five People I Loved Most. She lives in McCall, Idaho, with her husband, John, and their five-year-old son, Franklin.

Articles:

Loving My Wife through Her Grief

This article was written by John Thompson, husband of Open to Hope contributing writer Jill Kraft Thompson. March 25, 2015, will mark the thirteenth anniversary of the day my wife Jill lost her family. Of course, I am not talking about our son Franklin and me, but Jill’s previous husband Bart; their two young sons, Benjamin and Samuel; her mother Shirley; and her niece Sarah. Jill, Bart, and their sons were living in Avezzano, Italy, when Jill’s mother, sister, and niece came to visit during their spring break in March 2002. They decided to travel north to sight-see. Bart was […]

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Accepting a New Life After a Multiple Loss

When I was only thirty-three years old, suddenly one day I felt my life was over and my only future was my past. Up until then, my life seemed magical, full of much love and happiness. Everything had been going according to plan. My husband Bart and I had just finished building our house in Idaho, where we wanted to raise our two boys, six-year-old Benjamin and four-year-old Samuel, through their high school years. We were preparing to set off on an adventure of a lifetime, to live in Avezzano, Italy, for one to two years while Bart worked there. […]

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Living with Fear, Learning to Risk

Twelve years ago, when our family was living in Italy due to my husband’s work, I lost the five most important people in my life. While my mother, sister, and niece were visiting from the States, my husband and I, along with our two young boys, ages four and six, took them on a week-long sightseeing tour around that beautiful country. As we were driving from Venice to Florence, just outside of Bologna a semi-truck lost control and slammed into our minivan, giving my husband Bart, who was driving, only a second to react. My sister and I were the […]

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Remembering Traumatic Events

When I think back twelve years ago to events following the horrific car accident in which five members of my family were killed but I was spared, I recall awakening to my sister screaming, “They are all dead!” I remember looking at her blankly, not feeling anything, not even knowing I had been in an accident, and unsure of where we were. Even though I was in pain, I recall feeling numb. As time passes, our memories of the details about traumatic events change. Do I remember the accident today? No. Did I remember it just after it occurred? I […]

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