Linda Beatrice (Williams) Thompson

Linda Thompson was born in Pikeville, North Carolina on May 13, 1955 to the late George Ed and Beatrice Shadding Williams.

Linda Thompson, a woman of boundless creativity, honesty, and adventurous spirit, passed away recently, finally finding peace. She leaves behind a legacy of vibrant art, unforgettable stories and a family who will miss her light.

An artist in every sense of the word, Linda loved drawing, music, singing, dancing and writing. She had the rare gift of being able to draw almost anything simply by looking at it. Her creativity expressed itself beautifully through colored pencils, watercolors and cross stitching. Combining her creative talents with her love for animals, she even wrote a story about dogs that featured her very first dog, Tiny, as the main character.

A proud veteran of the United States Army, Linda served her country during the Persian Gulf War before finally hanging up her fatigues to return to her family. Though her military service concluded, her sense of adventure never faded. Linda was a traveler at heart. If there was a trip to be taken and she had the time, you never had to ask her twice. She was known to pack up and drive to places she had never been, whether it was heading to Jacksonville to buy fish and point out the sights, or traveling across the country to California, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia simply to be with her family and children.

She also possessed a legendary love for flea markets and yard sales a passion she inherited from her mother, Ms. Bea. Linda was famous for telling her family, "Don't throw anything out that you don't want; send it to me and I can sell it for you."

To know Linda was to know exactly where you stood. She was never afraid to speak her mind and tell you exactly what she was thinking, whether you were ready to hear it or not. But matched with that fiery truth was a deep, protective compassion. She truly enjoyed the company of animals and was fiercely protective of all dogs, whether they were her own or someone else's. Her family will forever cherish the memory of her spotting a distressed turtle on the side of the road, pulling her car over, and scooping it up to rush it to the vet.

More than anything, Linda was the undisputed light of any gathering. She could command a room with funny stories from her childhood, past experiences, her military days, or perfectly timed movie lines. Her storytelling and her hilarious movie reactions will be deeply missed. You also knew better than to try and outdo her in Sudoku, Jeopardy, or family games.

Above all her travels and talents, Linda loved her children: Renitta, William, Andre, Natalie, and Elliott. In the end, her greatest comfort was wanting to be near them as she wished for the pain to go away.

Her light will never dim as long as we keep her memories alive.

She is survived by her two sons, William Snead (Mona) of Woodbridge, Virginia and Elliott Thompson (Trey) of St. Louis, Missouri; two daughters, Renitta Snead of Kinston and Natalie Thompson of Boston, Massachusetts; two brothers, George Williams Jr. (Carrie) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Willie Lee Williams of Eureka, North Carolina; two sisters, Barbara Artis (Larry) of Stantonsburg and Teresa Lewis (Herbert Jr.) of Goldsboro; eleven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; brother-in-law, Earl Hobbs of Saulston; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Andre Williams; three brothers, James Leroy Williams, Thomas Earl Williams, Sam T. Williams and three sisters, Ethelene Jennette, Minister Patricia Dunn and Justine Hobbs.

A service to celebrate her life will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at White Oak Grove Original Free Will Baptist Church, 2261 Big Daddy's Road in Pikeville. Interment with military honors will follow at Eastern Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Goldsboro. Viewing will be held prior to the service from 10:00 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. at the church.

Professional services entrusted to the care of Howell Funeral Home & Crematory in Goldsboro.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Linda Beatrice (Williams) Thompson, please visit our floral store.