Walter L. Thompson, III, 70, passed away on July 2, 2013. He is preceded in death by his parents and a sister. He is survived by Ella, his wife of 27 years, a brother, four children and six grandchildren. Walter received a B.A. in Economics from North Carolina A&T University in 1965. For most of his career, he worked for IBM Corp., from which he retired in 1998. He earned a Masters in Business Administration from ASU the same year, after which he returned to work for ASU before retiring in 2007. A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, August 3, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Desert Mission United Methodist Church in Scottsdale. Cremation and burial arrangements will be held ahead of time and entrusted to Messinger Mortuary. The family suggests that memorial contributions be sent to Sherman House Hospice of the Valley (602-530-6992) (Source: Arizona Republic)