Hillard Jordan, Jr.
A home going celebration for Hillard Jordan, Jr. who died November 9, 2019, was held Saturday, Nov. 16 at St. James A.M.E. Church. Rev. Reginald E. Jacobs, Sr., pastor, officiated. Burial was in Arlington National Cemetery.
Hillard Jordan, Jr., 78, of Monticello was the beloved only child of the union between the late Hillard Jordan, Sr., and Odessa Griggs Bryant, born March 19, 1940.
Known as Hank to his Army friends, Hillard was preceded in death by his loving stepfather Charles Bryant of Pittsburgh, PA and is survived by his darling mother, Odessa, son, Hillard III of Pittsburgh, PA; daughter, Rozalia Jones of Newport News, VA., brother Mike (sister-in-law Marlyce), brother, Lewis,(sister-in-law Mayme) of Los Angeles, CA; sister, Charlotte Johnson. Hank is also survived by his son-in-law Richard of Newport News,
grandson, Bryant of Denver, CO., granddaughters, Isabella of Pittsburgh; ex-wife Rozalia of Pittsburgh and brothers and sisters known and unknown to his children. Also, close friends, Johnny “Fox” Carter, Sandra Carter and Roger Minter.
After graduating from high school, Hank joined the United States Army. He was selected to serve with the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard, as a Tomb Guardian in 1963 at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. After three years of active military service including an assignment to Southeast Asia, he left the military service and joined his cousins Curtis and Marvin in Pittsburgh, PA. There, Hank met and married Rozalia Harrison in Pittsburgh, PA in 1969 and attended the University of Pittsburgh on the GI Bill. While married Hank served an additional three years in the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Hank made many friends while working for the Edgar Thompson works of U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh. He traveled throughout North America on business, invested in real estate, worked for the U.S. Postal Service and served in the Pennsylvania National Guard. He was a hard-working man and his loved ones in Pittsburgh often joked that if Hank lost a job, he would get two more! While window-washing a skyscraper, in downtown Pittsburgh, his equipment failed plunging him six stories in 1990 and he survived without a limp.
Upon the death of his father, Hank permanently returned to his hometown of Monticello, Ga. He was delighted to revive childhood friendships, live in his childhood home and developed lifelong bonds of affection with many of his siblings. God blessed Hillard with the gift of hospitality, as he loved to cook and entertain company. Hank will be remembered as a devoted son, encouraging father, loyal friend, loving husband, committed brother, a child of God and a man of distinction.
Smith and Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.