Mrs. Maurice "Molly" Eugenie Thompson

Maurice "Molly" Eugenie Horne Thompson (b. Sept 27, 1937) died October 2, 2024 at the age of 87. 

 Molly was born three months early in the small town of Lake City, Florida, after her father accidentally hit a cow while driving home. Initially thought to be too small to live, she continued to defy medical prognoses until the end of her life. The Horne family moved with her father's naval career, however called Monticello, Florida and Charleston home. She attended the College of Charleston, graduating in 1958, and married fellow student W. Leigh Thompson, Jr. at Grace Episcopal Church on March 29, 1957. 

 While her husband pursued graduate studies at MUSC and Johns Hopkins, she taught high school History, English, and French. She left full-time teaching in 1972 on the birth of their only child, after which Molly turned her active mind to volunteering, travel, and photography. In 1989, they returned home to Charleston, where she cared for her beloved mother-in-law, Mary B and built a garden that was a perennial favorite on tours for the Garden Conservancy and Preservation Society. She was active in many local organizations, including the Ladies Benevolent Society, Century Club, the Historic Charleston Foundation (Nathaniel Russell House), Capers Academy, Drayton Hall and the Catesby Trust. She was an active member of the French Protestant (Huguenot) church. Molly co-authored several books, most recently “The Huguenot Church in Charleston”. She was a passionate advocate throughout her life for education and historic preservation.

Molly was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1980 at the age of 43, but despite decades of treatment and side effects, treated the cancer as a slight annoyance to be managed as part of her busy schedule. She is survived by her daughter, Mary Linton B. Peters, and son-in-law, Stephen Peters.

 Funeral services will be held Friday, October 11, 2024 at the French Protestant (Huguenot) Church at 11:00 am. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel. 

In lieu of flowers, she asked that any remembrance be made to: The W. Leigh Thompson, Jr. Osler Housestaff Endowment, Johns Hopkins Department Medicine, PO Box 49143, Baltimore, MD 21297-9143.