Anita Lou Petty Thompson of Lexington, formerly of Buchanan, passed into eternity on Monday April 7, 2025.
Anita was born in the family home on February 23, 1942, the third child of Frank William and Louise Rycroft Petty. As the middle child, Anita defied convention, made her own imprint on life and honed her artistic eye and creativity. She was one of six siblings raised in a rural community once full of children from similar backgrounds. She walked to Willow Grove School, attended Cedar Bluff Baptist Church, participated in 4-H and Vacation Bible School, enjoyed rambunctious play but also at an early age had daily chores which instilled in her the principles of hard work, responsibility, and decency. In that small area, no one had much money but the shared lifestyle and values of that time made those who grew up there rich in the ways that counted most. Anita banked every one of those childhood experiences in her marvelous memory and drew bountifully from them for all the days of her life.
At age 10, Anita was one of two children in the neighborhood to contract polio and although spared the crippling effects as a child, the disease manifested again later in her life as Post Polio Syndrome, which caused severe muscle weakness and exacerbated health issues normally related to aging. Despite all of this, Anita remained resolute in her approach to life and inspired many of her family and friends with her tenacity.
When Anita was 19 she served as a bridesmaid in her older sister Helen’s wedding and there she met a handsome young man named Don Thompson. She and Don married six months later and moved to Fort Sill, Okla., where Don was serving in the U.S. Army. After he completed his military service, they moved back to Virginia and vowed never to leave their home state again. They were blessed in 1963 with the birth of their only child, Jeff, and eventually settled in the Charlottesville area for Don’s work with AT&T. Upon retirement, they moved back to Buchanan to the community that Anita loved so much and where they had the opportunity to visit with family and friends daily, bringing them both so much enjoyment.
In addition to her parents, Anita was predeceased by her husband, Robert “Don” Thompson; her sister, Helen Wootton; brother, Billy Petty; brothers-in-law, Charles Wootton, Roy Alexander, Dale Samuelson, Howard, Edward, Harold and Johnny Thompson; and sisters-in-law, Lillian Samuelson, and Marivance Thompson.
Anita is survived by her beloved son and primary caregiver, Robert Jeff Thompson, and her daughter-in-law, Sandra, who shared their home with Anita for the past three years. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Dr. Jefferson Thompson and friend Miranda Goodman of Johnson City, Tenn., twin granddaughters, Jillian Burford and her husband Tim of Verona and Jordyn Thompson of Lexington; sisters Linda Alexander, Becky Hannah (Scott), and Janie Harris (Will); sisters-in-law, Sandy Petty and Louise Thompson; numerous nieces and nephews who considered her the matriarch of their large clan; and scores of cousins and friends who shared in her simple childhood adventures and who loved her dearly. Anita was provided comfort and companionship by her caregivers and friends, Dale Austin and Becky Williams, and the many nurses and aides who assisted with her home care.
Visitation was held from 12-1 p.m. with funeral services at 1 p.m on Saturday, April 12, 2025 in the Buchanan Chapel of Botetourt Funeral Home with Scott Hannah, Janie Harris and Jeff Thompson officiating. Interment was in Fairview Cemetery. Those wishing to honor Anita’s memory with a memorial donation, please consider Cedar Bluff Baptist Church, P.O. Box 915, Buchanan, 24066 or New Freedom Farm, P.O. Box 125, Buchanan, 24066.
