Thompson faithfully served Pfeiffer for many years as a trustee, including service as the board chair in 2006 and 2007. His love of Pfeiffer never wavered, and he returned to campus regularly for speaking opportunities and campus events. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Pfeiffer in 1990. 

Thompson retired in 2011 after 43 years of service as pastor and District Superintendent of the Charlotte District of the North Carolia Conference of the United Methodist Church. He served many parishes in Western NC, including Providence United Methodist Church in Charlotte, before serving as District Superintendent. In 2014, Thompson wrote a moving exploration of God and the nature of human suffering entitled God Is Not Fair, Thank God: Biblical Paradox in the Life and Worship of the Parish. 

In 2022, he wrote his memoir, which included his pursuit of an education at Pfeiffer College and the transformative relationships found during that experience. He majored in History and worked in the library during his student years, and he wrote extensively about tough but caring professors, evening dinners in professors’ homes, and a unified student body.  

“George Thompson was a friend and advisor to many Pfeiffer presidents, and I am fortunate to have been in leadership alongside him. He was a wise and gentle spirit who cared deeply for his parishioners, friends, colleagues and family. He will be deeply missed,” said Dr. Scott Bullard, Pfeiffer University president.

A Celebration of Life will be held on March 1, 2025, at Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro, NC, at 2 pm.  Hanes Lineberry North Elm Chapel is serving the family: Rev. George Edward Thompson Obituary – Greensboro, NC.