Bill & Betsy Thompson

A graveside inurnment service for William K. "Bill" Thompson and Elizabeth "Betsy" Jackson Thompson will be held 2:00 P.M. Sunday, June 10, 2018 at Arlington Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant. The couple were married June 10, 1954 in Mt. Pleasant. Oakes & Nichols Funeral Directors are assisting the family with arrangements. William K. "Bill" Thompson, 84, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, died Thursday, April 23, 2015. Elizabeth "Betsy" Jackson Thompson, 88, died Monday, March 12, 2018 at her residence in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Born January 18, 1931 in Columbia, Mr. Thompson was the son of the late William Kenneth Thompson, Sr. and the late Ethel Mooney Thompson. Mr. Thompson was reared and received his early education in Columbia, graduating from Columbia Central High School in 1949. He earned his degree in Civil Engineering from Vanderbilt University, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He served in the U. S. Army during the Korean Conflict. Mr. Thompson worked at International Paper for forty years, retiring June 10, 1997 at the Pine Bluff, Arkansas plant as the manager of Environmental Health & Safety. He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff. He was also a 32nd Degree Mason and Shriner, member of the IP Quarter Century Club, member of the Arkansas Environmental Federation and American Society of Civil Engineers. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Betty Ann Willis.Mrs. Thompson was born November 22, 1929, in Mt. Pleasant, daughter of the late Rufus Collier Jackson, III and the late Mary Elizabeth Cecil Jackson. She was reared and received her education in Mt. Pleasant, graduating from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1948. After high school, she attended the University of Georgia where she received her Bachelor's Degree in Education in 1952. Mrs. Thompson was a Physical Education Teacher and taught in Columbia and Washington state. Mrs. Thompson was a member of First United Methodist Church of Pine Bluff and Daughters of the American Revolution. She made custom-ordered children's clothes.In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Rufus Collier "Buck" Jackson, IV; and sister, Dale Hardison.Survivors include their daughter, Eleanor Shaifer of Pine Bluff, Arkansas; son, William Mark (Beatrice) Thompson of Switzerland; two grandchildren; four great grandchildren; and Mrs. Thompson's sister, Lillie Jackson of Mt. Pleasant.