Penelope (Penny) Ann May Thompson, 76, of Mathews, died May 7, 2016 at Walter Reed Convalescent Center in Gloucester, Virginia.
She was born May 26, 1939 in New York City, N.Y., to William B. May and Kathleen F. May who preceded her in death.
She grew up in Ardsley-on-Hudson, N.Y., and was active in soccer, tennis, sailing and golf. She graduated from the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., in 1957 and attended Bradford Junior College from which she graduated in 1959. After matriculating at Katharine Gibbs as a legal secretary, she worked for Texaco and White & Case on Wall Street and continued her career working for various law firms until she retired.
She was a member of Kingston Parish and attended Christ Church. During her 15 years in Mathews, she was the treasurer of the Gloucester-Mathews Humane Society, editor of the Mathews Yacht Club newsletter, editor of the Mathews County Historical Society newsletter, a Master Gardener, and a member of the Mathews YMCA. She was a passionate and accomplished sailor, an active and involved hockey mom for her boys and enjoyed skiing in Colorado where she met and married her husband. She enjoyed travels to England, where her mother was born, cruising the Caribbean and was especially fond of all her dogs. She fostered many dogs and went to Louisiana to rescue dogs from Hurricane Katrina. She was also interested in her genealogy and was working on proofs of her ancestry to John Talcott who settled in Hartford, Conn., in 1632.
She is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 50 years, William Hunt Thompson; his brother, Jonathan, and sisters Sara and Susan; her three sons and daughters-in-law, Bill (Kim), Peter (Christine) and Stephen (Sheri); nephews Doug, Stuart and Andrew; niece Clay; and grandchildren, Carly, Will, Sadie, Lukas and Siena.
A burial service and interment will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 19, 2016, at Christ Church, Mathews.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Mathews Community Foundation Penelope “Penny” May Thompson fund for dog welfare supporting the Animal Care Society at P.O. Box 103, Mathews, Va. 23109.