Deborah Mae Thompson Hinson's Obituary
On June 24, 1953, Deborah Mae Thompson was born to Earl and Ethlyn “Judy” Thompson in Mobile, Alabama. They called her “Debbie”. She was the next-to-youngest of five: Priscilla, Braxton, Jane, and Margaret who died as a teenager. After moving to North Carolina, the family met the Hinsons and became lifelong friends.
Debbie excelled in school and loved learning. She wanted to be a librarian. She took Cosmetology classes in high school but was not allowed to drive a school bus because her mom said, “If those kids wanted to go to Hardee’s, you would take them!” She had a strong bond with her siblings and enjoyed going to the Hinson farm to jump from the hay loft (something not as typical of Debbie in her later years).
When Leira Hinson passed, Virgil and Debbie reconnected. At the graveside, Debbie quietly came up to Virgil and slipped her hand into his. The rest, they say, is history.
After graduating from South Stanly High School, Debbie married Virgil in a small ceremony in her parents’ house on Southside Road. Two weeks later, she jumped on a plane to Germany where she and Virgil lived during his military station there. Because living on base seemed boring, the young couple opted for civilian housing. While there, they met friends whom they still love deeply today. It was there that Debbie also fell in love with Hummels. They traveled throughout Europe during their years there using weekends to their maximum power.
It was during her stay in Germany that Debbie decided she needed a job. One morning, she walked into the American Express office in Mainz, Germany, and declared she was ready to work. And work she did. Deborah Hinson embraced banking full force, and it became her passion.
The only thing Debbie loved more than banking was her girls. After returning stateside, Melissa was born on Fort Benning, GA, in 1978. Trips from Georgia to Albemarle were long, but including the grandparents and extended family in their life was a crucial component for Debbie and Virgil. Virgil surely didn’t mind the home-cooked meals from Judy, either.
Eventually, Virgil joined the Reserves and the couple moved to Porter. There, they made a happy home that was filled with love–and Hummels. Their dog, Bozo, had accompanied them from Germany, and was an integral part of Debbie’s world. She even kept a stash of M&M’s for him. Yes, she knew chocolate was bad for dogs, so it was a good thing Bozo was far more than a canine!
Debbie’s banking career flourished, and so did she! She worked locally at First Union, First Citizens, and then took a leap to join a new entity called “Bank of Stanly”. That choice was another that made history. She did many things there including opening new branches in Cabarrus and Montgomery counties, revisioning Whitley’s Luncheonette as the new break room, managing several branches through the years, heading the E-banking department, and even designing the bank calendar for a year or two.
In 1989, Debbie and Virgil welcomed Meredith into their lives. She brought them a joy that surpassed so many other things. Debbie slowed down on banking and focused on her family and community. She was a part of the group that heard Jimmy Carter speak and then brought Habitat for Humanity to Stanly County. She worked so hard with Southside Fire Department (they had been so helpful when Melissa had a bad automobile accident) to help create a new facility. She helped Porter Baptist Church redesign its sanctuary (she searched so very long to make sure even the lighting was right). She worked tirelessly on the Simpson Family Cemetery on both its history and future. She worked tirelessly with Family Support units during Desert Storm to provide aid and assistance to the families who remained stateside, even receiving a national award for her efforts.
Debbie still loved to travel and did so whenever she could. She loved picking apples in the mountains. Washington, DC was a treasured spot as she took many trips with Virgil surrounding their association with the National Association of Postmasters. She would only go to the beach for her sister, Jane, with whom she loved spending time. Those ladies could talk on the phone for hours!
Debbie was a grammar master. She loved finding new crafts to master. She took care of her family, including her father and mother in their later years and her brother, Braxton. If you loved them, she loved you. She taught her daughters to be fierce with manners and to not wait around for things to happen but to do them. When she made a decision, that was that. When she wanted something, she made it happen.
Meanwhile, Melissa was teaching and Meredith went to nursing school. After very rewarding careers in both, they are both entrepreneurs. They learned all they know about building community in business from their mother. Melissa married Wesley Eudy, from Monroe, and Meredith wed Derek Moses, from South Carolina. Her daughters’ weddings were two of her very favorite days most likely because they had found loves to share their lives with just like she had.
The pinnacle of Debbie’s success comes in human form: Nathaniel (14), Cidney (13), Julian (8), Tucker (6), and Hampton (4). Her grandchildren made her smile, taught her patience, and loved her fiercely–just as she loved them.
Debbie knew most of Stanly County (I know, I went grocery shopping with her a lot) and cared for them all. Each smiling face held a story of how she had interacted with them in the past, usually in an extraordinarily helpful way.
If you are one of these people, we invite you to join us at her visitation Monday, July 10 from 6-8pm at Stanly Funeral Home.
What’s your fondest memory of Deborah?
What’s a lesson you learned from Deborah?
Share a story where Deborah's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Deborah you’ll never forget.
How did Deborah make you smile?
