Barbara Thompson Wasson
Laurens, South Carolina
Barbara Thompson Wasson died peacefully at home on June 17, 2022. She was the fourth of five children, born to Dorothy M. Thompson and John Allen Thompson, Jr. on February 21, 1950.
Barbara lived most of her life in Laurens. She graduated from Laurens High School and attended Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina. From 1976 – 1989 she worked as an Administrative Assistant for Laurens County Probate Judge J. Hewlette Wasson. Barbara served as Laurens County Clerk of Court and Register of Deeds from 1989 – 2006 and worked with the South Carolina Department of Social Services in Columbia from 2006 – 2013 as a Family Court Subject Matter Expert. Barbara was named Assistant Clerk of Court for Family Court for Greenville County in 2013 and was employed there until the time of her death. She loved her co-workers and staff and thought of them as her extended family. Barbara was a member of the South Carolina DSS FCCMS Change Control Board and the South Carolina Clerks of Court and Registers of Deeds Association where she formerly served as president. Her outstanding career in local government is evidence of her dedication to serving others and her commitment to a life of purpose.
Nicknamed as a small child for her precocious personality, Barbara was still called “Pistol” by her family and close friends. She was kind and selfless, always placing other’s needs before her own. Barbara was smart, accomplished, loyal, and hard-working. Because she loved and appreciated all flora and fauna, her yard always blossomed in the spring with a beautiful flower garden and was teeming with birds and wildlife which she nurtured. Her home was her haven, and she was self-taught in the many skills needed to maintain her house and yard. Barbara loved animals and cared for many household pets throughout her lifetime. Her compassionate, benevolent nature will be missed by so many.
A loving mother, Barbara was preceded in death by her daughter, Dorothy “Dori” Wasson Jenrette. She leaves behind her devoted siblings, Jeanie T. Morrissey of Denver, CO; John Allen “Tommy” Thompson, III of Laurens, SC; Mary T. Byrd and husband, David, of Waco, TX, and Tacey T. Gohean and husband, Bob, of Columbia, SC, and many loving nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held on Sunday, July 17, 2022, from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at The Kennedy Mortuary, 606 West Main Street, Laurens, SC.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Barbara’s name may be made to the Humane Society of Laurens County, P.O. Box 1600, Clinton, SC 29325, or to Laurens County SAFE Home, P.O. Box 744, Clinton, SC 29325, or to the charity of your choice. Condolences to the family can be sent to Tacey T. Gohean, 6951 Nursery Road, Columbia, SC 29212.
Condolences may be expressed online at www.thekennedymortuary.com.
