Obituary for Joan Elizabeth Murray (Thompson) of Durham, NC
December 7, 1937 - March 15, 2020 

On Sunday, March 15, 2020, Joan Murray Thompson, loving wife and mother of four children, went to be with the Lord at age 82.

Joan was born on December 7, 1937, in Raleigh, North Carolina to VG and Edith Murray, the 3rd of their 5 children. She was educated in Raleigh: attended Murphy Elementary, Hugh Morson, and Broughton High. Joan excelled academically and had good leadership skills. She and her siblings were involved in Tabernacle Baptist Church in Raleigh between the ages of 5 and 17. As a youth, in the summer she went to Vacation Bible School and during the school year, she attended Sunday night youth activities.  Joan and her siblings were taught by their mother to follow Deuteronomy 6:1-8 which tell us that God is the ultimate authority and as long as we live, we should love the Lord with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength.

Joan had a true servant’s heart, so after high school, she answered that calling and studied nursing at Watt’s School of Nursing in Durham and graduated in 1960. On September 1, 1959, she married James Cleveland Thompson (Jimmy) from Durham. She worked as a nurse at Watts Hospital for several years and also at an internal medicine practice in Durham.  Later she took time off to be at home with their 4 children because that was important to her.  In 1980 she became a realtor, but eventually went back to her first calling and worked as a nurse for a few years at Durham Regional Hospital and finally at Triangle Heart Associates until she retired at age 70.

She loved cooking and was a great cook. She loved spending time at the beach with her husband and family. She also enjoyed watching sports with her husband, especially Duke basketball games. She enjoyed her monthly bridge games, and her Bleu Olive lunch group.  She loved spending time with her siblings and their families, as well as her husband’s family. In general, she loved just spending time with everyone.

She was a loving wife and mother and it was her life’s goal to take care of her husband and children. She put them first and it was so evident in the way she did so many things for them. She was not just a mother but also a good friend – always available to listen and to give advice or help out as she could. She was generous, giving, loving, and “spoiled us all”. She was a model to us all of how to love sacrificially and there will be a big void in all of our lives. She was a dear friend to many and appreciated all those who were close to her.

Joan was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Gene Murray and Henry Murray, and sister-in-law Anne Murray. She is survived by her husband Jimmy; her four children: Joni Pierce (and husband Jim), Jan Meghdadi (and husband Babi), Jim Thompson (and wife Rebecca), and Jeff Thompson (and wife Han); her brother Billy Murray (and sister-in-law Barbara, her sister Carolyn Reitz (and brother-in-law Ronnie), half-sister Lora Greene (and husband Bobby), half-brothers V.G. Murray (and wife Jane) and Sammy Murray (and wife Rosa), her sister-in-law and close friend Janice Murray, her brother-in-law Marvin Thompson (and wife & close friend Ann), sister-in-law Kitty Stephens, special cousins-in-law Tom Weaver and Maria Rogers; grandchildren Jami Pierce, Erin (and George) Sewert, Hannah (and Matt) Pierce, Cameron Thompson, Alex Thompson, and a granddaughter due in July; many nieces and nephews, and many she called her adopted children.  

Source of the obituary: Cremation Society of the Carolinas

https://www.cremnc.com/obituaries/print?o_id=6928494