WILMINGTON — William Clarence “Clancy” Thompson, Jr. (86) died peacefully at home on May 22, 2025, surrounded by abundant love, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Born May 7, 1939, Clancy spent most of his early years in Pennsylvania, where he was raised in a family deeply rooted in service and education. His father, a Presbyterian minister, and his mother and sister both dedicated schoolteachers.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from The College of Wooster in Ohio, Clancy began his career as a high school English teacher. It was during this time that he also wrote and directed his first play, Pigskins and Petticoats (published by Samuel French), a musical about a high school that unknowingly hires a female football coach. Around the same time, he met his future wife, Susan, she was 17, a freshman at Wooster, and their friendship began with her help in designing the costumes for his first play. This was the beginning of many theatrical collaborations they would share. Clancy’s next move was to Michigan where he joined the Hilberry Classic Theater Company and earned his M.A. from Wayne State University. He then accepted an offer to Chair the Theater Department at Transylvania College in Lexington, Kentucky. It was during his time that he and Susan reconnected, and they were married in 1966.
In 1969, the couple returned to Pittsburgh with their new daughter, Kahla, where Clancy pursued an M.F.A. in playwriting at Carnegie Mellon University. Not long after, they welcomed their son, Keegan. Clancy’s next chapter began at Pittsburgh’s public television station, WQED, where he worked as a producer and director. During this time, he spent six unforgettable months collaborating with Fred Rogers “in the neighborhood” and was honored with a Peabody Award for his documentary film Say What You Feel. As his network in the arts and education world expanded, Clancy transitioned from public television to establish and lead the Pennsylvania Aesthetic Education Program, relocating the family to Boiling Springs, PA. His work in theater and arts education continued to evolve, and in 1983, the family moved to Long Island, NY, where he became the Producing Director of the Performing Arts Foundation. In 1992, he took on a new role as Director of the Westport Arts Center in Connecticut.
His plays have been produced Off Broadway, as well as by The Performing Arts Foundation of Long Island, The Philadelphia Theatre Caravan, and DePaul/Goodman Theatre in Chicago. His works for children were featured in the Imagination Festival at Kennedy Center, D.C. and the Denver Theatre Center.
In Wilmington for the last 30 years of his life, Clancy continued to weave his gifts into the fabric of this community: working for ten years as Director of the Child Advocacy Commission, serving on the board of Carousel Center and as Precinct Chair of the Democratic Party. Ever expanding the boundaries of his creative expression, Clancy also founded Classic Biscotti, LLC, and partnered with his wife, Susan, on Shaped by the Sea – Fine Art and Photography. His recent projects included Poetry Worth a Second Look — a retrospective spanning 1962 to 2024 — as well as several short documentaries spotlighting two local film industry figures. He was also a frequent contributor to the Wilmington Star-News’ Letters to the Editor and regularly shared his Moments from Nature video reflections with a wide circle of friends and acquaintances online.
Throughout his time in Wilmington, Clancy continuously discovered new ways to express himself and champion the causes close to his heart. Whether through his writing, his evocative “Jazz Doodles,” his voice in both Cape Fear Chorale and his church choir, or his involvement in outreach programs at First Presbyterian Church — including the Grandparent Support Network, The China Network, Open Arms-LGBT+ and the Community Service committee.
Clancy was a passionate advocate who transformed empathy into action. One special example of this is the relationship he shared with Johnny Wu. From the moment he met Johnny in China as a young teen from the Suzhou orphanage, Clancy saw him fully — not as someone to be saved, but as someone to be cherished. That connection led to Johnny’s eventual move to the USA. He is now married and working in Raleigh and very much a part of the Thompson/Nelson family.
Clancy’s boundless and adventurous spirit found expression in his love of travel, culture, and theater. From an extended family trip to Mexico in the mid-1970s to countless visits to New York City to catch a show and visit his sister Jane—often followed by a trip upstate to see his son Keegan and his wife Chloe in Stone Ridge—he embraced every opportunity for connection. Theater festivals brought him to Dublin, Edinburgh, and Charleston, and he treasured an unforgettable journey to Stonehenge, England and Malta with Keegan in 2023. He also enjoyed special trips to Europe with Susan, visiting Italy, France, and Ireland, and made many journeys to Asia to spend time with his daughter Kahla and her family during their years abroad. Whether traveling the world, tending his garden, savoring new foods, or simply immersing himself in nature, Clancy approached life with deep curiosity, wonder, and joy.
Clancy often said that throughout all his careers, two things remained constant: the unwavering love and support of Susan and his amazing family, and “a creative urge that both drove and exhausted him” (and sometimes us too!). That deep well of love and creative energy poured into everything he cared about. Clancy/dad/grandpa was a fierce, joyful presence in our lives: compassionate, inspiring, endlessly imaginative, with an unforgettable flair for secondhand fashion. He saw each of us clearly—our idiosyncrasies, our gifts, our passions—and made us feel known and valued just as we are. He encouraged us to follow what lit us up inside and to believe in the good we could do in the world. He lived his values out loud, rooted in both his belief in democracy and the simple, powerful idea that we should love our neighbors as ourselves.
He is survived by his amazing and ever-loving wife and creative partner of 59 years, Susan; his children Kahla (Eric) Nelson and Keegan (Chloe) Thompson; his grandchildren Wesley, Tristan, Freya, Finley, and Johnny (SaraJean); his beloved sister, Mary Jane Thompson and many other extended family members and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents Rev. William C. Thompson Sr and Gwendolyn Kearney. His legacy lives on through countless works of art, writings in many forms, and the indelible mark he made on every person and community he touched.
To honor Clancy’s memory, get involved: support a cause close to your heart, and reach out to your local and state representatives. (The “5 Calls” app is a simple, effective tool to help make your voice heard.)
A memorial service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, 125 S. 3rd Street, Wilmington, NC on June 12, 2025 at 4:00 PM. Please wear comfortable summer attire, Clancy would want you to come just as you are!
The link for a livestream of the June 12 service for Clancy is here.
This is Now Enough
Over the stillness of the woods
the stars glisten like surprises.
Lying, back on earth
Looking into space
….. infinite…..obscure
my mind wants so much more,
but in the time I have left
this is now enough
-Clancy
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