Douglas Child Jolley

Lexington SC - Douglas Child Jolley, 87, passed away on Friday, January 31, 2020.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 8, 2020, at 2 p.m. in his hometown of Fayetteville, NC, at Manna Church Chapel, 2nd floor of Brick Building A,  5117 Cliffdale Road , Fayetteville, NC.  Visitation will be held prior to the service at 1:30 pm .  He will be interred with military honors on February 18, 2020, 11:30 am, at Jacksonville National Cemetery, where a private, family graveside memorial will be held.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Mable Butts Jolley; his brother Bill Jolley of Brunswick, GA; and his sister Dell Jolley Welch, of Switzerland, FL. He leaves behind a son, Doug Jolley (Jan) of Lexington, SC, and four daughters: Susie Jolley James of Fayetteville, NC; Elizabeth Brandt of Rock Hill, SC; Kathryn Healy (Tim) of Toccoa, GA; and Mary Clarke (Steve) of Myrtle Beach, SC. He was predeceased by a daughter, Patricia Scruggs Schroer, of Fayetteville, NC, and by his first wife, Mary Jean “Mickey” Jolley, of Columbia, SC.

He also leaves behind seven grandchildren: Jonathan Jolley (Lila) of Lugoff, SC; Catherine Brandt Vacovsky (Roger) of Midlothian, VA; Allison Brandt Blackwelder (Josh) of Greer, SC; Tim Healy (Nichole) of Clarkesville, GA; Brian Healy of Martin, GA; Thad Schroer (Mallory) of Fayetteville, NC; and Jessica Schroer of Charlotte, NC.  Additionally, he leaves behind nine great-grandchildren.

Douglas C. Jolley was born on August 15, 1932, in Staten Island, NY, the second of three children of William Berry Jolley and Carolina Arendell Davis Jolley.

He joined the United States Air Force at the age of 20 in 1952 at the height of the Korean conflict, and began pilot training immediately. While the Korean conflict ended before he could serve overseas, he was offered the opportunity to remain in the Air Force by cross-training as a navigator, a position which he held for the rest of his 20 years of service. He completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1966. He served in Vietnam from 1966-67, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and 10 Air Medals. After Vietnam, he was promoted to Major, and for two years was privileged to serve as part of the prestigious military exchange program with the Royal Canadian Air Force in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  His final duty station was at Pope Air Force Base, near Fayetteville, NC, where he retired as the Chief Navigational Officer in 1972.

After teaching college-level math for two years, he earned his real estate license and worked for 42 years as a broker, property manager, and appraiser, primarily serving his fellow military service members. He sold one officer who was assigned to Ft. Bragg a total of seven houses. He retired from his Real Estate business in December, 2016.

During the last year and a half of his life, he lived at the Wellmore Assisted Living complex in Lexington, SC, where he enjoyed living close to his son Doug’s family, and made many new friends along the way.

Mr. Jolley’s life always revolved around extended family, and the creative ways he cared for them. His backyard tractor rides were legendary among his grandchildren, and he could also pull a mean hayride during birthday parties. He was a prolific gardener, growing a vast assortment of fruits and vegetables in his backyard.  His favorite pastime, however, was waterskiing, a skill which he learned on the choppy waters of Lake Erie. For many years he was well-known for skiing and boating on Hope Mills Lake in Fayetteville, NC, and he taught countless numbers of people to ski over the years.

As a child, his mother regularly read to him and his siblings from the famous book “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie, which tremendously inspired him and had a great impact on how he viewed life his entire 87 years. He was a man of wonderful character, strength, integrity, faithfulness, and kindness, and was always hard-working and self-giving. He quietly but faithfully lived out his Christian faith, and his life was a shining example of sacrificial love to all who knew him.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Tri-County Veterans Support Network in his name:

http://tcvsn.org/donate-now.html