Margrid Thompson, mother of Olympian

DOVER, N.H. -- Margrid Thompson, mother of Olympic swimmer Jenny Thompson, died Tuesday at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital after a battle with cancer. She was 66.

Jenny Thompson's longtime coach, Mike Parratto, said her mother was instrumental in the swimmer's success. Thompson has won 10 Olympic medals in three Olympics and is training for her fourth in Athens.

Mrs. Thompson moved from Burlington, Mass., to Dover so her daughter could be closer to the Seacoast Swimming Association under the tutelage of Parratto. Until then, the 12-year-old and her mother had been commuting to the practices. After the move, that commute switched, with Mrs. Thompson traveling to Burlington for her job in medical technology at the Lahey Clinic, getting up at 4 a.m. for the 75-minute drive.

An article in USA Today on Tuesday chronicled the effort and sacrifices Margrid Thompson made. In the article, Jenny Thompson speculated whether her mother would be well enough to make the trip to the Athens Games. "If I get to Athens and she's not there, that will be difficult," Jenny Thompson said. "But I know she'll always be with me, whether she's there or not."

In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Thompson leaves three sons.