Elizabeth Mould Thompson

Elizabeth Mould Thompson, 83, of Kingston, NY, passed away on Thursday December 16, 2021 at HealthAlliance Hospital - Broadway Campus, Kingston, NY. Elizabeth was born on a large dairy farm in Montgomery, NY, the second of three children to Harold Mapes Mould and Adeline Olga Oswick. She grew up in Mould Hall, an historic home. She attended Montgomery High School then Cornell University. After Cornell she was an Army wife and was stationed at various locations in the USA. She attended the language school in Monterey, California to learn Turkish. Then she spent four years in Turkey teaching English. She started assisting other Officer's wives design their apartments and started her Interior Design business.
Elizabeth had divorced and moved to New Paltz with her three children in 1970. Not long after her arrival friends discovered her talent for Interior design and asked her to help them with their houses. This led to a contract with the to-be New Paltz Country Club. The Club had just purchased an old house and property for a golf course. They needed help in converting the house into a desirable restaurant and club house.
The job with the country club lead to many other Interior Design jobs. Elizabeth was hired to do a Real Estate Office on Main street, a bank, many houses and a dinner club. The Town of New Paltz is about two hours from New York City so many New Yorkers have weekend and summer houses in the area. After doing a few of these houses the clients wanted her to come to New York and design their apartments. She would take the 6 AM bus to New York then return by 6 PM.
She would go into a room and rearrange the furniture and hang the paintings and the clients would love it. They would say..."I didn't know the house could look this beautiful". Even a talented Artist asked her to arrange her paintings because she said she just didn't have the talent. Elizabeth's most creative project was her home in Kingston at 194 West Chestnut Street. She won a number of awards for the restoration and had many articles in newspapers and magazines.
The Friends of Historic Kingston honor individuals who have demonstrated a deep appreciation for preserving our architectural heritage. Elizabeth won the award in 2011. The house is one of five residences in Kingston that were designed by Calvert Vaux, the noted nineteenth century architect and landscape designer. It was built circa 1890 for Frank Griffith, who owned a large feed and grain business. Griffith's daughter, Anna, and her husband Arthur Sheldon, who was a founder of the Rotary Club, lived here for many years. In 1977, Elizabeth bought the house which had been empty for several years and deteriorated to the point that there was a large gaping hole in the ceiling in one room. Nevertheless, because the house afforded a panoramic view of the Hudson River, several people put in bids to buy it with the intention of tearing it down and putting another structure on the property. Elizabeth, however, intended to restore it. Her total restoration of the house included all the woodwork and salvaging the original staircase. She also constructed a carriage house to match the design of the house and completely restored the landscaping.
Elizabeth is survived by her husband, Taylor N. Thompson, Sr., of Kingston, NY, her children, Janet Cortner and husband Scott of Atlanta, GA; Margot Gallo and husband Perry of Port Ewen; Laura Rusk of Bradenton, FL, her step children; Taylor "T.N." Thompson Jr. and his wife Kathy of Port Ewen, NY, Wendy Thompson, of Hilton, NY, and Evan Thompson of Saugerties, NY, her six grandchildren; Elizabeth Green, Emily Schottmiller, Brittanie Thompson, Chelsea Garman, Taylor Lyndsey Thompson, and Troy Thompson, her Great Grandchildren; Caleb Green, Audra Green and C.J. Green, Delaney Schottmiller, and Kiff Garman.
Entrusted to the care of Keyser Funeral & Creamtion Service, 326 Albany Ave, Kingston. She will be cremated and a memorial service and reception will take place at a time and place to be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family request that contributions be made in Elizabeth's name to the American Cancer Society at www.Cancer.org or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at www.StJude.org A tribute for Elizabeth can be found at www.KeyserFuneralService.com, where you may leave memories and expressions of sympathy for her family.