Rev. Charles Cleveland Holton Sr.

Published 6:30 pm Friday, October 7, 2011

Rev. Charles Cleveland Holton Sr., 72, of Thomasville, died Friday, Oct. 7, 2011, at Archbold Medical Center.

Funeral services will be 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 9, at Celebration Church in Thomasville with the Rev. David A. Holton, Mr. Charles C. Holton Jr. and the Rev. Jimmy Bryson officiating. Casketbearers will be Trey Holton, Jon Holton, John Cooper, Trey Dennard, Roger Holton, Lonnie Holton and Joey Holton. Honorary casketbearers will be Kenny Stivers, Brett Sellers, Paul Harrell, Eric Meyers, Aaron Moncrief, Benny Alvarez, Louie Hughes and Frank Lightsey.

Another funeral service will be held 11 a.m., Monday, Oct. 10, at the Burgess Chapel of Oxley-Heard Funeral Home in Fernadina Beach, Fla., with the Rev. Rob Goyette officiating. Interment, with military honors, will follow in Bosque Bello Cemetery.

Born Nov. 29, 1938, in Valdosta, he was the son of the late Charlie Lee Holton and Thelma Albritton Holton. He spent his early years in Winter Park, Fla., where he graduated from high school. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, he was manager of the Winn-Dixie store in Fernandina Beach. He married his wife, Alice, in 1962. He formerly owned and operated Holton Painting Co. and was also a representative for Charles Chips. He later established C & H Lawn Care Co., was a distributor for the Florida Times-Union and was an assistant at Oxley-Heard Funeral Home. He served 13 years as a bus driver with the Nassau County School System and was associated with Amelia Island Plantation for ten years. After moving to Thomasville in 2006, he was a bus driver with the Thomas County School System for three years. He loved sports, and was an umpire for more than 20 years with high school, college and little league teams in northeast Florida, and he was an avid Gator fan, his family remembered of him.

In the early years, he attended Luther Rice Seminary in Jacksonville, Fla., and served as pastor of Pine Grove Baptist Church in O’Neal, Fla. for many years. He later served as associate pastor at First Assembly of God in Fernandina Beach, and finally served as pastor of Celebration Church in Thomasville.

He was preceded in death by one brother, Walter J. Holton; and two sisters, Frances Cooper and Juanita Sims.

Survivors include his wife of 50 years Alice Lafaye Kersey Holton of Thomasville; four sons, the Rev. David A. Holton and wife Johni-Lynn of Ludowici, Ga., Charles C. “Chip” Holton Jr. and wife Susie of Asheville, N.C., Gene Kaiser and wife Melinda of Lincolnton, N.C. and Donnie Hester and wife Rachelle of Thomasville; one sister, Sara Rowell and husband Tom of Valdosta; and seven grandchildren, Amber Holton Bryant and husband Chevy, Charles “Trey” Holton III, Taylor Holton, Jonathon Holton, Tyler Holton, Tyler Hester and Jadn Hester.

The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service, on Sunday, at Celebration Church.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Cobb Funeral Chapel.

Please leave condolences to the family at www.moultrieobserver.com.