Virginia “Jill” Thompson Harper died peacefully on June 6, 2026 at the age of 83 at her home in Atterdag Village, a senior living facility in Solvang, California.

She is survived by her sisters Dana Thompson Istre of Santa Rita Hills, California, and Kay Thompson Lee of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. She was predeceased by her husband attorney Granville Harper in 2020.

Jill was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, on Dec. 7, 1942. She attended public schools in Fort Smith, then finished her senior year of high school at Stuart Hall in Staunton, Virginia.

Her first two years of college were spent at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. She then transferred to the University of Arkansas, where she pledged Pi Beta Phi sorority.

After graduation, she married her high school sweetheart Granville Harper in November 1963.

Jill and Granville moved to San Francisco, California, and later to Santa Barbara, where Jill volunteered for the Junior League of Santa Barbara and Meals on Wheels, and sang in the choir at Trinity Episcopal Church.

Jill and Granville were known for their ability to restore old or neglected houses in San Francisco as well as Santa Barbara.

Jill is under the care of Welch-Ryce-Haider Funeral Chapels of Santa Barbara, and will be buried in Rose Lawn Cemetery in Fort Smith, Arizona, near her husband Granville. Burial will be determined at a later date.