EDWIN SPENCER THOMPSON
Aug. 31, 1924-April 5, 2014
Saturday, April 5, Edwin Spencer Thompson, 89, peacefully passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
"Buddy" was born Aug. 31, 1924, in Durham, N.C., to Irma and Cecil Thompson.
His brother, Jack Thompson, resides in Las Vegas, Nev., while his two beloved sisters, Betsy Maddox and Celia Truesdale, are deceased.
Buddy attended the Durham Public Schools, including Durham High School, where he became a champion boxer.
There he met his high school sweetheart, Anne Stapleford (Jan. 23, 1926-June 14, 1986). They married after attending college at Duke.
Buddy began his studies in mathematics, then enlisted in the Army during World War II, and was stationed in France and Germany.
Upon his return, he graduated from Duke. A funny note: He was proud to be the only student at that time to graduate without taking a foreign language ... he convinced the dean by asking, "If I didn't need French in France, why do I need it in Durham?'
Buddy's first professional job was office manager of the North Carolina Department of Revenue in Charlotte.
He later returned to Durham, where he was manager of Elkins Motor Co. for 30 years. He served as president of the Sales and Marketing Executives of Durham (1979-1980) and president of the Durham YMCA in 1981.
In 1980, he was awarded a certificate of appreciation for outstanding volunteer service to improve the quality of life in Durham.
He was a 50-year member of Duke Memorial United Methodist Church (1936-1986).
He was also a member of Duke Family Association.
He was blessed to find love again when he met JoAnn Smith Darden of Goldsboro. They married April 25, 1992, and enjoyed life on the coast in Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle, N.C.
There, Buddy attended classes at Carteret Community College, where he studied carving. He became a very talented artist, creating beautiful hand-carved water birds.
Surviving are his wife, JoAnn Thompson of Goldsboro; two daughters and their husbands, Carol and Tom Worsley of Durham and Shirley and Michael Lynch of Naples, Fla.; four grandchildren, Susanne Gamboa and husband, Ariel, of Durham, Meredith Barbee and husband, Mykel, of Wilmington, Olivia Lynch of Naples, Fla., and Nicholas Lynch of Hawaii (Navy); great-grandchildren, Adrian and Gabriel Gamboa and Thomas and Ellery Barbee; stepchildren, Bonnie Hughes and husband, Ron, of Goldsboro and Chuck Darden of Pikeville; five stepgrandchildren, Charlie Hughes of Stantonsburg, Cameron Hughes/Chenier and husband, Michael of Ohio and Chase, Zack and Gray Darden of Goldsboro and Pikeville.
Mr. Thompson was a member of St. Luke United Methodist Church and the Friendship Sunday school class in Goldsboro.
The family would like to thank the staff and caregivers at Countryside Village and Community Hospice for their loving care. Also, thanks to the M&M's at St. Luke United Methodist Church.
Memorials may be made to St. Luke United Methodist Church, 1608 E. Pine St., Goldsboro, N.C., 27530, or Alzheimer's Association of Eastern North Carolina, 3739 National Drive Suite 110, Raleigh, N.C., 27612.
Graveside services will be held Wednesday, April 9, 2014, at 2 p.m. in Maplewood Cemetery, sect. 11, Durham, N.C., 1621 Duke University Road, with the Rev. Adam E. Seate and the Rev. Stephen Elkins-Williams presiding
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.seymourfuneralhome.com.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on April 8, 2014 1:49 PM