Her Journey
Mrs. Barbara Ann Thompson Nwakpuda was born in Alamance County, North Carolina (NC) on January 21, 1956 to the late Flonnie Thompson and Fannie Rogers Thompson, who survives. She departed this life on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 after a short illness.
Barbara graduated from Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane, NC. She later graduated from Winston-Salem State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN) in 1979. She began her career as a registered nurse at Duke University Medical Center. Subsequently, she worked 39 years total between Duke’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Unit, Pediatrics at Interim Healthcare, and Pediatrics at Maxim Healthcare. Barbara even worked one year at the Durham County Detention Facility. She proudly cared for all her patients with respect and empathy. Even a major car accident that occurred in the middle of her career did not stop her industrious spirit.
Barbara, fondly known as Ms. Barbara to many, loved and enjoyed movies, theater performances, watching dance shows, trivia, art exhibits, her pets, and her TOPS group. Over the years she helped others when called and volunteered to assist children. Most recently she volunteered with the IMPAC Program in Durham, which specializes in substance abuse prevention for adolescents and young adults.
Her hopes and dreams live on. She leaves her mother of Mebane, NC; two daughters, Lisa Nwakpuda of Burlington, NC and Emily Nwakpuda of Durham, NC; three sisters, Carolyn Rogers of Burlington, NC, Gail Thompson of Mebane, NC; Shirley Thompson-Richards, M.D. of Baltimore, Maryland; four brothers, Roger Thompson (Iris) of Charlotte, NC, William Flonnie Thompson of Baltimore, Maryland, Jonas Nathaniel Thompson of Sacramento, California and Charles Eugene Thompson (Joan), M.D. of New Rochelle, NY; two grandchildren, William Blake Ward and Courtney Sophia Phillips, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends to cherish her memories. She is also survived by two aunts: Nannie Bell Currie and Gertrude Foust. Barbara was preceded in death by her father and two sisters: Carlener Fuller and Marguerite Elizabeth Solomon.
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