Obituary
Alford Jesse Holton Jr.

Jesse was born on 10/27/1940 in Kannapolis, NC, the youngest of four children. He was interested in his friendships and music from a young age. He received his undergraduate degree in Music Education from East Carolina University.  He was awarded the Master of  Music Education from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jesse was a huge sports fan.  His favorite teams were the  New York Yankees and the Duke basketball team. Jesse was a consummate musician, teaching kids to play their instruments with style and feeling, but also affirming each person whether they excelled or not.  Jesse loved Jesus and loved teaching 4th and 5th graders at Triangle Grace Church about following Him. Jesse  delighted in seeing God's world through traveling with his beloved wife, Nancy, including many years of teaching VBS in Haiti with their partners through Family Health Ministries.  Jesse lived out his faith in very tangible and unassuming ways. Michael’s wife, Felisha shared her love for “Mr. Jesse” in the following comments. “Over the years,  Michael has shared vivid memories of how much kindness, gentleness, and self-control his father showed when interacting with family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, his band students, church members etc. . Mr. Jesse was kind to people who were kind to him and kind to those who were not. He was kind to everyone he met. Mr. Jesse made being kind cool again, especially as a man.  Jesse honed and perfected his craft as a teacher  at Jordan High School in Durham NC, where he founded the band program in 1964. He directed the bands at Jordan from 1964-1992. He taught at Githens Middle School in Durham, NC from 1964-1999.  He taught in the UNCG summer music camp in Greensboro, NC for several years and initiated and organized the NC All State Honors Band program. He was initiated into the NC Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 2006 and inducted into the Jordan High School Academic Hall of Fame in 2014. What more can we say about Jesse that those who knew him didn’t already feel in his companionship? Words can’t fully capture his life, legacy, or Spirit—but we can continue to honor his memory by sharing pieces of what he gave to this world. Over the decades, Triangle Grace Church remained the center of his life with beloved wife and partner Nancy (his 'spiritual mentor' by his own words) where he poured himself into encouraging others in their own spiritual journeys, as “Mr. Jesse”—the faithful servant, the cheerleader, The Encourager. Jesse will truly be missed. Recently Christine said of her dad,  "Yes, he was our Dad and so special to us, but he was a great mentor to many other people, too. His impact and influence on the world around him are ever expansive and greater than we will ever know on Earth.“ He was preceded in death by his father, Alford Jesse Holton, and his mother, Mary Everding Holton. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Nancy Jayne Holton, his daughter, Christine J. Holton (spouse Dean Kanipe) and his son, Michael R. Holton (spouse Felisha J. Holton), and siblings Quinton Holton, Mary Gail Holton, and Dean Holton (spouse Faye Holton) A Celebration of Life Service followed by a reception will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Triangle Grace Church, 5001 Tudor Pl., Durham, NC 27713. We are grateful beyond measure for the time we had with him. His legacy is alive in every phrase of music he inspired, every student he believed in, and every heart he encouraged. In honor of Jesse's long-standing generosity, donations can be made in lieu of flowers to Jesse's most cherished and beloved organizations: Family Health Ministries https://familyhealthministries.org/ Haiti Outreach Ministries https://www.haitiom.org/donate/ Triangle Grace Church https://trianglegrace.org/local-outreach/ https://trianglegrace.org/global-outreach/