Obituary of Matt Lee Thompson Jr.

Matt Lee Thompson, Jr.

Matt Lee Thompson, Jr.  age 88, passed away August 25, 2020 at Briarwood Nursing Home in Little Rock, AR. He was raised in Chapel Hill, NC and moved to Little Rock in his later years to be with his daughter.

Matt is survived by his daughter, Bettina Knight of Durham, NC; his grandsons, Jonathan (Amanda) Knight of Wendell, NC and Jordan (Megan) Knight and their son, August of Atlanta, GA; and brother, Bill Thompson of Julian, NC.  He is preceded in death by his wife of 38 years, Tina Thompson and their son, David Thompson of Carrboro, NC; his second wife Ann Thompson of Mebane, NC; parents, Matt and Sue Thompson of Chapel Hill, NC; and younger brother, Bobby Thompson of Arizona.

Matt was born October 12, 1931 in Durham, NC, graduated from Chapel Hill High School and attended UNC in Chapel Hill. He served in the Air Force from 1951-1954, stationed in Anchorage, AK. The majority of his adult life he worked as an industrial plumber.  He was a die-hard Carolina fan and attended games at the Tin Can & Woolen Gym before having season tickets at Carmichael and the Smith Center.  He had a lifelong passion for gems and minerals and enjoyed many a road trip with his rock hunting buddy Richard Bullard. After retirement he enjoyed bee keeping and was an active member of the Orange County Beekeepers Association. He always had a story to tell about the removal of a bee hive or a new flavor of honey.  He would have loved to been able to teach his great grandson about rocks and bees as he did his grandsons.

A graveside service for the family was held at Westwood Cemetery in Carrboro.