Benjamin M. Thompson of Mathews, Va., passed away at Riverside Walter Reed Hospital on Saturday, May 23, 2015.

Ben was born on June 25, 1925. He graduated from Mathews High School in 1942 and went into the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946. In 1952 he graduated from UVA with a B.S. degree in Economics. Out of college, he worked with Acacia Mutual Insurance. From 1960 to 1995. he was a State Farm Agent here in Mathews County. Ben was a member of Locust Grove United Methodist Church, a lifetime member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, and a lifetime member of the American Legion Post 83, where he was a Past Commander and Past District Vice Commander. He was also a member of the Mathews Chapter, National Federation of Music Clubs, and a member of the Mathews Lions Club from 1960 to present. He was a member of Oriental Lodge No. 20 AF & AM from 1953 to present.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Benjamin and Naomi Thompson; his wife, Virginia Mildred Callis, and a brother, Donald Sinclair Thompson.

He is survived by a niece, Cindy Hamlet and her husband Richard Hamlet Jr., and their son Brandon Hamlet.

The family received friends on Monday, May 25, 2015 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Foster-Faulkner Funeral Home, Mathews. A funeral service was held on Tuesday, May 26, 2015, at 2 p.m. in Locust Grove United Methodist Church. Burial followed in Windsor Gardens Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ben’s memory to the Mathews Lions Club, P.O. Box 281, Mathews, Va. 23109 or to Locust Grove United Methodist Church, 1832 Windsor Road, Dutton, Va. 23050.