JESSE VIRGIL NOLAND, JR. 1932-2021

Jesse Virgil Noland, Jr. passed away from pneumonia in the early morning on Friday, January 29 in Houston, Texas, his home for the past fifty years. He was born in Leicester, NC on July 25, 1932, the son of Jesse Virgil Noland, Sr. and Myrtle McCrary Noland. Jess, or “J.V.” as he was called, lived on the family dairy farm and attended Leicester Elementary School until the seventh grade when the family moved into Asheville, NC. He graduated from Lee Edwards High School (now Asheville High School) in 1950 and from the University of North Carolina in 1954 with a degree in accounting. After serving in the army for two years, he started his career in the business world as an internal auditor in Greenville, SC for J.P. Stevens Textile Company. While still on the audit staff, he married Mary Ann Stafford, whom he had met while she was a student at the Woman’s College (now UNC-G). Their marriage on June 8, 1957 lasted 63 years and both hoped and thought it would go on much longer.

Time passed, Jess moved from the audit staff to a job in the controller’s department of Stevens’ synthetics division. He became a proud father in 1959 with the birth of Marcus and another son, Douglas, was born in 1963. Douglas has severe mental handicaps but Jess was just as proud of this son’s small successes as he was of Marcus’ larger accomplishments. The young family moved to Severna Park, Maryland in 1963 when Stevens and Enjay Chemical Company became joint owners of a plant in Odenton, MD, which was entering the new world of polypropylene fiber. The two companies remained partners until the late sixties when Enjay bought J.P. Stevens’ half interest. Jess was then presented the serious question of going back into the textile business with Stevens or staying with Exxon. He chose the oil business and never had one regret. In 1969 he was transferred to New York and learned the joys of commuting into the city by train, Path Tube (going under Hudson River) and subway. Mary Ann learned to get up very early, dress and take Jess to the train station. After about two years, Jess came home one evening very agitated. “We have to leave this place! I have to get out of here.” Seems that in getting on the subway in the Uniroyal Building, he pushed on, as is done during rush hour, but “I shoved an old lady! We have to leave this place.” Perhaps someone at Chemicals heard him because the rumor soon started that headquarters was moving but no one knew where. Houston was the destination. Moving vans loaded up and moved over 200 Exxon Chemical families to Texas that summer. Life settled in.

Jess was a firm believer in St. Luke 12:48: “from those to whom much is given, much is expected.” He served on the board of directors of the Center for the Retarded (now the Center for Pursuit) for over thirty years. During that time, he volunteered at Willow River Farms, their rural facility, he and Mary Ann sold gingersnaps at the farmers’ market and he and some other retirees became the shipping crew to pack and ship tins of gingersnaps. They were smart. They started early, worked hard, finished the job for the day and then went out to lunch. For over fifteen years Jess went to Oak Forest Elementary School in Houston and read to kindergarten or first graders. He thoroughly enjoyed the excitement of the children and their joy in the stories. On vacations, he bought books about the area he was visiting to give to the teachers for the coming year’s reading. He formed long term friendships with the teachers and gave up his volunteering at Oak Forest only because he was no longer physically able to do so.

Of all the ways he helped people, Jess was proudest of mentoring young men and women in their careers at Exxon Chemical. Finding their interests, strengths, and desires was followed by finding the right job at the right time. When these young people were successful and happy in their careers, no one was happier or more proud than Jess.

Jess is survived by his wife Mary Ann, son Marcus and children Daniel and Rebecca of Washington, D. C. and son Douglas of Brenham, TX. Predeceasing him were his parents, sisters Eva Russell, Hendersonville, Callie Ferreri, Philadelphia,PA and Audrey Codnere, Black Mountain, NC. There will be no service at this time but a celebration of his life will be held later when the pandemic has lessened. Inurnment of his ashes will be held sometime in June at Springfield Friends Meeting Columbarium in High Point.

In lieu of flowers and if friends wish, Jess requested that donations be made to The Center for Pursuit (formerly the Center for the Retarded), P.O. Box 130564, Houston, TX 77219-0564 or to the charity of your choice.