Sally Bovard Thompson

1937 - 2024

Sally Bovard Thompson

December 29, 1937 - August 11, 2024

Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Sally Bovard Thompson, 86, formerly of Farmville, VA, died Sunday, August 11, 2024 in Chapel Hill, NC, with her husband William Thompson and her children at her side. Sally was a cherished daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and teacher. She loved generously and was loved in return by those whose lives she touched.

Born December 29, 1937, in Durham, NC, to Ted and Jean Bovard, she was an adored only child. She was a highly social, people-person (like her parents) with a sunny disposition, two qualities for which she has always been known. In Durham, she forged lifelong friendships throughout her school years, graduating from Durham High School in 1956, and at Salem College and Duke University where she graduated in 1960. A week later, she married Cecil E. Cooke, Jr. They had three children and were married for 35 years, establishing strong community ties in Siler City, Durham, and Raleigh.

In 1996, Sally married Reverend William E. Thompson and moved to Farmville, VA where they resided for 21 years, in the College Presbyterian Church manse on the Hampden-Sydney campus and, after retirement, in their restored Victorian bed & breakfast on High Street. Sally and William were well-loved figures there. For the past seven years, they have been active members of the Carolina Meadows retirement community, where, again, they made fast friends and found ways to contribute meaningfully to the lives of those around them.

Throughout her life, Sally was a force to be reckoned with and she positively impacted every community in which she lived. Just a few of her many projects and passions included: co-founding the first kindergarten in Siler City; organizing the "Candy Striper" volunteers for the new Siler City Hospital; fundraising for Caring House in Durham; volunteering for Hospice; and serving for 10 years on the Farmville Town Council, where she supported the renovation and renaming of the Barbara Rose Johns Farmville-Prince Edward Community Library and coordinated a county-wide program with the YMCA to teach every child to swim. At the same time, she had an elementary school teaching career spanning 35+ years in NC and VA, where she touched the lives of hundreds of students and their families, pioneering project-based learning before it was popular. Her students loved her, and she went above and beyond for them. She led by example and leaves a legacy of joyful and compassionate service to others. One of her favorite quotes, often attributed to Stephen Grellet, is, "I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."

Sally is survived by her husband William, her children, Betsy Gilmour (Ian), Virginia Boyd (Alan), Ed Cooke (Denise), and her grandchildren, Imagene Cooke and Jack Gilmour. She also loved William's children, Tommy Thompson (Lisa), Dr. John Thompson (Cathy), and his grandchildren, Tully Thompson, Mateo Ward, Julia Thompson, and Steve Thompson.

The family would like to express deep appreciation for the loving care and attention Sally received from the staff at the Pines at Carolina Meadows, where she was a resident for two years. A celebration of life and reception will be held from 3-5 p.m. on September 14 in the Carolina Meadows auditorium, 100 Whippoorwill Lane, Chapel Hill, NC 27517. In addition, a second service will be held at College Presbyterian Church in Hampden-Sydney later this fall. Memorial contributions can be made to a charitable organization in your own community where you believe it will make a difference.