Arthur Thompkins, 74, of Coraopolis, transitioned from here to be in the presence of the Lord on December 27, 2019, surrounded by his family.

He was born on January 27, 1945 to the late Douglas, Sr. and Nola Thompkins.  He was the 7 ^th of 8 born to this union, the big brother of one but the baby brother to 6 siblings.

He graduated from Coraopolis High School in June of 1963 and immediately entered the United States Navy where he was stationed in Norfolk, VA.  He was Veteran of the Vietnam war and was awarded 3 medals; the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.  He honored and served his country for 6 years.

Some years after his military stint, he met a lady named Myrtle and he asked for her hand in marriage.  Though they never had children, he was a father to her 3 children, Sarah, Floyd and Deanie.  After years of a beautiful love story, Myrtle passed away.

Art Te, as he was affectionately known, was a fashion plate and loved to sing.  One of his favorite songs was "She's A Bad Mamma Jamma".  He was skilled in the kitchen, but loved a good sandwich with a Klaussen dill pickle which was the perfect ingredients to watch his shoot 'em ups (cowboy) movies with his sister, Burnell.   To his nieces and nephews, he was a No Nonsense Uncle!  He would often state, "I laugh and joke but I don't play".  He was big on Respect and especially hated the phrase "HUH"?  He was known for telling his nieces and nephews that he would throw them out the window and go out there and catch them before they hit the ground and throw them back in the window.   When hearing that, they were stricken with fear, but as they got older it became funny.

Though he seemed to have a tough exterior, Art had a big heart and was willing to help anyone.  Following his heart for helping others, ArtTe enrolled in school for nursing.  He was very passionate about nursing and had a long career in the field of healthcare.  After retiring from nursing, he worked small jobs, to stay active.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Myrtle Thompkins and 3 brothers; Bennnie Floyd, Douglas Lee and Darnell Thompkins.  He leaves to cherish his memory, 2 brothers; William and LeRoy Thompkins, 2 sisters; Burnell Price and LueDella Woodruff, 4 sister-in-laws; Rose, Teresa , Gail and Janice Thompkins, 1 brother-in-law, Edward Woodruff and a host of relatives and friends.