Obituary of Pauline P. Thompson

Pauline Pugh Thompson was born in Ashe County, North Carolina on January 28, 1924 to the late Paul and Grace Herman Pugh. She passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 28, 2014 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. She was a member of the United Methodist Church and gained much inspiration from the Unity Ministry. She was a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, North Carolina and held a special place in her heart for Appalachian State University, proudly serving on the Library Advisory Board for the University's Belk Library where the Group Study Room is named in her honor. She enjoyed sharing many plates of cookies with Chancellor Ken Peacock and regularly attending the various cultural offerings of the University, including the Appalachian Consortium and the Appalachian History Museum. She led an interesting and adventurous life, filled with travel and good friends whose company she greatly enjoyed and with whom she so often shared her full and boisterous laughter! The always positive Pauline influenced many people in many ways and will be greatly missed by many very good friends and her cousins. She is survived by Jim and Christine Secreast of Hudson, N.C., Peggy and Fred McLean of Hudson, N.C.; Kenneth and Margie Green of Hendersonville, N.C.; Dick and Anna Busing of Lakeland, Florida and Beech Mountain, N.C., Mr. And Mrs. Bill Johnson of Lakeland, Florida; Terry and Barbara Herman of Crownsville, Maryland; and her dear friend, Michelle Merritt Leonard of Bethania, N.C. Pauline worked for the Hertz Corporation in Florida and later was manager of the Hokin Gallery, a well known art gallery in West Palm Beach, Florida where she met famous artists such as Alexander Calder and frequented such venues as the Breakers Hotel. While still in Florida, she built a house in Boone, basing its design on a chalet she had seen in Switzerland, and moved to Boone upon retirement. She loved The High Country, her great view of the campus, her many friends, plants, cats, Joel Osteen and giving things away! Funeral services will be held at The Boone United Methodist Church on Friday, October 3, 2014 at 2 pm. The family will receive friends at the church at 1 pm. Graveside service and burial will follow the funeral at the Blue Ridge Cemetery in Lenoir, N.C. The family would like to thank Holly Addis for her care and devotion during Pauline�s declining health. Austin and Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory, Boone, NC, is serving the family.