Rebecca Angela Herbert Thompson

Becky, 66, died suddenly and unexpectedly Tuesday, December 5, 2023 in her home of thirty years in Charlotte, North Carolina. Resuscitation efforts, begun by her husband, were improved on by first responders arriving very quickly on the scene until, more than twenty minutes later, they realized she was not coming back.

Born August 31, 1957, in Gainesville, Florida, to the late Mrs. Rebecca Sheldon Whitemarsh Herbert and the late Mr. George Arthur Herbert, delivered by her uncle the late Dr. Carl Morse Herbert, Jr., M.D., OBGYN, for “the price of a shrimp dinner and a radio.” Throughout her life, she recounted a vivid early memory of looking up the aisle of a corporate aircraft at the pilot(s) and instrument panel on the way home with her parents from her delivery.

She earned her high school diploma June 1975 from Nova High School in Davie, Florida, and went on to earn a B. S. in Applied Psychology from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, Georgia, December 8, 1979.

Becky was always industrious. During her high school years she worked several part-time jobs including File Clerk for Kenleigh Associates, Yacht Maintenance Hand for Messrs. Shaw and Denius, and Administrative Assistant for Electro-Science Management Corporation. While at Georgia Tech, she served in part-time capacities as a Student Assistant in three separate arenas: Student Identification for the Dean of Students Office, Commons Building Information Desk, and the Music Browsing Room. Other part-time work at Georgia Tech, spanning 2 ½ years, was in the capacity of a Laboratory Assistant/Animal Caretaker. After graduation she was employed by Red Lobster, KinderCare, Nanny Pop-Ins, then Bookland Galleria, Hoover, Alabama, where she was promoted after only two months from Bookseller/Cashier to Assistant Manager. After moving to the Charlotte area, she served the Museum of York County, just over the state line in Rock Hill, South Carolina, for 2 ½ years as their weekend Planetarium Operator and Presenter. The week days for much of that time were spent working for Adesa, Inc.

Becky’s proudest accomplishment was homeschooling her daughter for the later part of her second grade year, then continuously, beginning with the second semester of her sixth grade year, through to graduation from high school in 2006. The education Becky imparted to her daughter equipped her to be accepted at several universities, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated in 2010 with a B. A., double-majoring in Linguistics and Asian Studies and a minor in Cognitive Science.

Her volunteerism included service to the Wildlife Rescue Service for the Oak Mountain State Park, Birmingham, Alabama as a Volunteer Interpretive Guide; volunteer service to the Storytellers Guild of Charlotte, Volunteer Class Assistant to the Steele Creek Elementary School (Charlotte), Volunteer Media Center Assistant for the Lake Wylie Elementary School (Charlotte) and Volunteer Class Assistant for the same. She also organized and led an Astronomy Club there.

Becky, having an Episcopalian upbringing and christening, had accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in her teens. She made her public declaration of faith with her baptism in His name at the SouthPark Christian Church, Sunday April 15, 2001, Pastor Witt leading the service. Her daughter, Eryn, was baptized there that same day.

Becky loved her husband, Larry Stephen Thompson, whom she married August 20, 1978, at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oaks, Pennsylvania, a church whose beginnings date to her ancestor Rachel Wetherill in 1829. Her love and joy was expanded to include her daughter, Rebecca Eryn Lanier Thompson, born August 25, 1988, in Homewood, Alabama, and granddaughter, Rebecca Sophia Bracco, born November 3, 2023, in Fairfax, Virginia.

Their life together was enriched by Becky’s enthusiasm for wildlife, collecting and testing recipes, and exploration which included extensive travels within the United States, Ontario and New Brunswick, Canada, and the Republic of South Africa. Riverine and coastal explorations were added whenever and wherever possible, one highlight being the observation of Halley’s Comet, 1986, aboard a cruise through the Caribbean, visiting the unique Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico and an astronomical observatory in Barbados. Comet chasing and the cruise continued along the coast of South America, culminating with tours of Rio de Janeiro. With the decline in her mobility, Becky continued her explorations vicariously through online resources that brought a global assortment of destinations to her living room.

Becky is survived by her husband of 45 years, Larry; one child, Eryn, presently residing in McLean, Virginia with her husband Paul Michael Bracco, and their daughter, Becky’s grandchild, Rebecca Sophia Bracco; and Becky’s brothers Commander George Arthur Herbert, Jr., U. S. Navy, Retired, residing in Everett, Washington, and Ross Charles Herbert, residing in Melbourne, Florida.

A service to celebrate Becky’s life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, December 30th in the chapel of McEwen Funeral Service – Pineville Chapel, 10500 Park Road, Charlotte, North Carolina. The family will receive friends after the service. To view online, go to facebook.com, search for McEwenPinevilleChapel, then see Becky’s video beginning at 1:45 PM.

For those wishing to send memorial gifts, please consider donating to Samaritan’s Purse (https://www.samaritanspurse.org/).

Condolences and your favorite memories of Becky may be offered at www.mcewenpinevillechapel.com.