Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Vita Pery COWPERTHWAITE
Vita Cowperthwaite Thompson of Malvern, an avid supporter of the United States Eventing Association, and of the Paoli Hospital community, died Feb. 13, 2008.
Mrs. Thompson grew up in Far Hills, N.J., and attended The Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Va., where she pursued her equestrian passion. She was a true lover of horses, and an accomplished fox-hunter in her youth.
She enjoyed the sport of Beagling as well, which led her to meet Richard Harte Thompson, at the Beagle Trials in Aldie, Va. They were soon married in 1958, and settled with their young family in Malvern. The Thompson's became active members of The Radnor Hunt community, where they eventually became committed to the sport of Three Day Eventing. Over the years, she and her husband devoted countless hours to The Radnor Hunt Three Day Event, which benefited Paoli Hospital and The Boy Scouts of America.
Mrs. Thompson also made significant contributions to The United States Equestrian Team's international and national successes. She was extremely generous with her time and support of the teams, which included volunteering for both the 1984 and 1996 Olympics. One of her proudest accomplishments was having her beloved "Biko" win a team Silver medal for the 1996 United States Olympic Team. In 1999 Vita was thrilled to have "Biko" named Horse of the Century during the United States Eventing Association's annual meeting for accumulating more competition points to that date than any other horse in the country. In 2001, with family and friends looking on, "Biko" was retired from international competition at the prestigious Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. Capping off his stellar career, "Biko" was inducted into the USEA Hall of Fame in 2006. Mrs. Thompson will be forever remembered for her generosity to the sport, the equestrian organizations, and particularly for providing the United States, with some of the most talented and successful horses in eventing.
Mrs. Thompson was a fervent community advocate. She proudly served on The Board of Directors of The Paoli Hospital Foundation for twenty-one years. She was also instrumental in the development of Paoli's Cancer Center, Emergency Center, and Birth Centers. She was recently recognized for performing over 3,500 hours of volunteer services at Paoli Hospital. It was a responsibility that she was extremely devoted to. She rarely missed a day, of what she referred to as her "work."
Mrs. Thompson was also an ardent supporter of land conservation, and was a founding member of The Willistown Land Associates. She also supported The Willistown Conservation Trust, and The Brandywine Conservancy. She was an active member of St. David's Episcopal Church.
Mrs. Thompson's other personal interests included tennis and platform tennis. In the 1970's, she was an accomplished competitor at Waynesboro Country Club, where she was a founding member. She was known as an intimidating opponent, a gifted athlete, and someone who you'd rather have on "your side of the net". In addition to her racket and equestrian interests, Mrs. Thompson was a gardening enthusiast, and a lifelong skilled needle-pointer. She was constantly creating needlepoint gifts for her family and many friends, and was beginning a new piece in the weeks before her death.
She enjoyed traveling to the Caribbean islands, particularly St. Barths. She always welcomed a gathering of friends to join her. Just last year, she celebrated with a group of her closest friends and family on St. Barths, in celebration of her seventieth birthday.
To quote her dear friend Kyra Stuart, "Vita was unique in so many ways; generous to a fault, and totally irreplaceable".
Mrs. Thompson is survived by her husband, Richard Harte Thompson of Malvern, sons: Richard Harte Thompson Jr. of Chester Springs, and James Knox Thompson of Middleburg, Va., her brother; John K. Cowperthwaite of Beaufort, S.C. and Tenant's Harbor, Maine, and three grandchildren. A memorial service is planned for 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 9, 2007 at St David's Church, Valley Forge Road in Wayne.
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