At memorial, Beaufort teen remembered for kindness, humor

Hands were clasped tightly and shoulders leaned on Thursday as the family and friends of William Thompson gathered at Beaufort’s Community Bible Church to remember a young man who went out of his way to introduce the new kid at school and cheer up those around him with jokes.

“He was that one guy that I pretty much envisioned talking to every day for the rest of my life,” Geron Benjamin, a senior at Whale Branch Early College High School said of Thompson before the nearly 100 people gathered at the church.

Benjamin spoke of the friend who encouraged him to focus on his academics so he could graduate on time with the class of 2016 and pushed him to think about dedicating his life to the military after high school.

Thompson, 18, died early Sunday morning after returning home from an underage drinking party at a residence on Parris Island Gateway. That event and those responsible for furnishing alcohol to those not old enough to drink remain under investigation by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Capt. Bob Bromage said Thursday that no charges have been filed.

The Sheriff’s Office also is waiting for Thompson’s cause of death and toxicology report from the autopsy.

The memorial service held in Thompson’s honor Thursday was attended by his caretaker, Colleen Reedy, and watched by his mother and other family members in Harrisburgh, Pa., where she is caring for the teen’s ailing grandmother.

Reedy cared for Thompson since he moved into her Beaufort home in October.

He lived there with Reedy’s son, Griffin, and another Whale Branch Early College High School senior, Eryk, who was moving into the home until he left for college.

“The first time I met Will, my first reaction was ‘Wow. Who is this kid?’ ” Colleen Reedy said with tears in her eyes. “He became a permanent fixture in our home.”

She described a young man with an “intense personality” that made her world a better place.

“If Will was here, he would be in the back cracking jokes to try to make you feel better,” she said to the crowded church. “There’s no person here who could be in a room with Will and not laugh at some point.”

Even in his absence, Will’s friends cracked quick smiles, and soft chuckles could be heard as they exchanged funny stories about their friend before the memorial began.

“Today feels sad because we miss his presence and want him back,” Reedy said. “But he is happier now than we could possibly imagine.”

This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 4:40 PM with the headline "At memorial, Beaufort teen remembered for kindness, humor."