Celebrating the Life, Love
and Legacy of
The Late Deacon Joseph E.
Holley, Sr.
With praise and
thanksgiving to Almighty God, we celebrate the life, love and legacy of the
late Deacon Joseph E. Holley, Sr. whose formidable example as a husband, father
and grandfather, Deacon within the church, visionary facilitator and provider
of housing, teacher and mentor to young people and servant leader in community
organizations will challenge and encourage many future generations.
“Deacon Holley” was the
late Joseph E. Holley, Sr.’s official ecclesiastical title. It reflects one component of his
multidimensional character and multiple ways in which he enriched the lives of
people with whom he worked, worshipped, served, socialized and befriended. In addition to “Deac” he was “Mr. Holley,”
“Brother Holley,” “Mr. Joe,” “Joe,” “Dad,” and “Granddad” among other
professional and personal designations.
Each of these titles and names describes an endearing characteristic
that Deacon Holley had. The person using
that description valued him and their relationship because of it. As we celebrate his life, many of us will
have the blessing of private and public remembrances that comfort us during
this hour of bereavement. More
powerfully, these personal and collective recollections will transform our
present grief and lamentations into permanent gratitude for the relationship we
shared with him.
As it relates to his
lifelong professional contribution, Deacon Holley worked tirelessly and
painstakingly to expand the market of affordable housing. Conceivably, his closest relationships within
his family of origins and formative context instilled this passion within
him. Possibly, it began as he observed a
family in need of a permanent residence.
Maybe, a visit to a friend’s house made him contrast the often stark
differences in people’s houses and therefore, their ability to actualize their
God given gifts, talents and natural endowments. Undeniably, housing often determines quality
of life. However, the confluence of
these and other circumstances created a path that led him from Orlando, Florida
to Brooklyn, New York, we are grateful for his dedication to assisting nameless
persons and countless families in acquiring housing and the stability it
affords them to dream, strive and achieve.
The security that reliable, respectable and gratifying housing yields
equates with an emotional and existential foundation upon which Americans build
successful and fulfilling lives. Deacon
Holley taught us that the grand American dream of home ownership and
residential stability extends to everyone.
His perseverance and
passion regarding housing leads one to conclude that Deacon Holley was destined
for this work. Unquestionably, he was a
visionary. Where an average person looked
upon a weather beaten, worn, eroded and abandoned house as worthy only of
condemnation and destruction, Deacon Holley saw a potentially beautiful
dwelling for a family. He possessed the
uncanny ability to envision what could be rather than surrender to defeat and
hopelessness. Not surprisingly, Deacon
Holley genuinely desired to renovate and rehabilitate each dilapidated house he
passed. His unrelenting desire to
provide a house for everyone sometimes led people to say, “Joe, please don’t
stare. Please don’t state at that
run-down house.” The people who pled
with Deacon Holley on these occasions knew that he would inevitably begin a
housing project seeking to transform that condemned dwelling into the
equivalent of a mansion for someone.
As an ordained Deacon in
his church, he concretized his service to God through meeting this direct need
of so many vulnerable people, “the least of these.” His visionary impulse relating to a physical
house equally extended to a person’s internal dwelling of mind, heart, soul and
character. He did not condemn anyone as
he left open the possibility that any person could renovate and rehabilitate
his or her character thereby making necessary changes to live successfully,
joyfully and productively. In obedience
to the Lord’s commands in Matthew 25, Deacon Holley encouraged and empowered
“the least” and most vulnerable citizens with a realistic chance to acquire
suitable, stable and satisfying housing. Beyond an individual’s understandable
desires to enjoy financial gain and material acquisition, Deacon Holley, as a
spiritual leader, cared for a person’s holistic health inclusive of a
fundamentally fair chance to actualize his or her internal skills and natural
abilities. What he saw in the potential
of a damaged house, he also saw in human capability and probability if willing
persons are given just and equitable possibilities. Just as he disliked people’s indifference to
a house’s potential to be a blessing to someone or a family, he evenly
disdained society’s cruelty toward its most defenseless citizens. Summarily, he devoted his life’s work to
supplying affordable and respectable housing as a primary step to removing
systemic barriers.
The word, deacon,
translates from biblical Greek into the English word, servant. Beyond the walls of the Church, Deacon Holley
was a servant leader who strove to enhance the surrounding community’s quality
of life. He encouraged young
professionals to commit time and service to this purpose. He facilitated my election to the Board of
Directors of the Brooklyn Plaza Community Health Center, the first such
community service board on which I served.
He served on several boards and donated years of unpaid service to
myriad community service organizations. As we celebrate his life and legacy, we
resolve to emulate his faithful example as a servant leader who fulfilled his
Christian principles through advocacy for people who are unable to speak for
themselves and direct service to people in need.
To some degree, each of us
is a teacher. We instruct by
example. Deacon Holley leaves countless
lessons for our professional consideration and personal application. To his employees, he eagerly shared lessons
from his experiences. Any young adult
who had the requisite humility to listen could learn a tremendous amount from
Deacon Holley on any range of subjects.
Personally, I recall his attendance at a young adult Sunday School class
at Emmanuel Baptist Church. Impressed by
our commitment and attendance, Deacon Holley along with a couple of his fellow
deacons came regularly. He remained
mostly silent and listened to our emerging discussion. He departed with the customs of many elders
to assume correctness of his positions and superiority of experience simply
because he was older. His respect towards
attendees yielded our weekly request to hear his perspective. Spanning the breadth and depth of compelling
moral issues, ethical dilemmas, societal challenges and political problems at
that time, Deacon Holley graciously shared his acquired wisdom borne of his
education, work, background and spirituality.
Deacon Holley took delight
in his ability to teach as a father. One
Sunday during coffee hour in the Parlor as EBC, he, Brother Robert and I talked
during a brief period of fellowship.
Deacon Holley shared a few unique gifts that he as a father offered his
children. Good, attentive and present
fathers leave their children with the unique gifts of their distinct and
unparalleled personality. Moreover,
Deacon Holley talked about his choices throughout his life and his subsequent
efforts to transform each experience towards positive outcomes. In that conversation, he taught us the power
of faith, determination and optimism.
Further, Deacon Holley showed just how proud he was of his children and
that he could learn from them. As he
beamed in recounting their accomplishments, he simultaneously acknowledged that
he had to be a good steward of their dreams and goals. Sometimes, that meant being a hard task
master. When I later became a father, I
recalled that brief yet significant conversation. Mostly, I remembered his chief premise,
“Fathers are stewards of their children’s dreams and goals.”
Together, he and his
beloved wife, Deacon Jacqueline A. Holley, taught us the promise, pleasure and
power of love. Their marriage bridged
decades in time and traversed the challenges and rewards of establishing their
respective careers, rearing a family, educating children, creating a better
community, caring for their parents, loving the extended family and in the
later years, facing health challenges.
The years of their marriage coincided with the childhood, maturity,
marriages and parenting of a couple generations of congregants at Emmanuel. Throughout life’s various plot twists and
shifting circumstances, we could look to “Deacon Joe and Deacon Jackie” who
personified the gifts of an enduring marital commitment. We genuinely thank them for keeping oil in
the lamp of love, faith and hope.
Moreover, we pray that love’s eternal and undying nature will comfort
and sustain Deacon Jackie in the days ahead.
Finally, as we join his
wife, children, grandchildren, extended family and circle of friends in
celebrating late Deacon Joseph E. Holley, we continually express praise and
gratitude to Almighty God for the unique expression of divine love, grace and
faithfulness revealed through Deacon Holley’s invaluable legacy.
Grant unto our dearly departed brother and Thy son, Joseph,
rest O Lord. Graciously admit him to the
communion of saints, the heavenly hosts and the goodly fellowship of the
eternally redeemed. Be Thou kind, O
Lord, and receive Joseph into Thy direct presence. Let Thy love and light perpetually shine upon
him. Grant unto Joseph rest O Lord and
let Thy light eternally shine upon him.
