Holladay, Thomas Jefferson
3/17/1952
August 16, 1872 - March 17, 1952 |
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| On August 16, 1872, Thomas Jefferson Holladay was born near Robeline, La., the son of Robert and Ruth Holladay. He attended Centenary College, and for some years thereafter taught school. But “Brother Jeff” could not be satisfied with any other life than that of the ministry; consequently, he entered the Louisiana Conference in 1904, and remained a member of that Conference until his death, March 17, 1952. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Kate Shull Holladay; two brothers, Robert and Larry Holladay, and one sister, Mrs. Emma Nora Porter. Few men have embodied the Christian spirit any more fully than did “Brother Jeff” He was truly a man of God, who knew God in a vital, spiritual experience and was able to share that experience with others so that they too could know the blessedness that had come to him. “Brother Jeff” was one of the most humble men this writer has ever known. It has been my privilege to serve in many communities in which “Brother Jeff’ had formerly served, and I was constantly being impressed by the deep and genuine love with which people of all denominations regarded “Brother Jeff.” He had risen above denominational lines, and people of every faith looked upon him as a spiritual advisor to whom they could turn in perfect confidence. In all soy contacts with those who knew him, I never ran across so much as one individual who did not hold him in the highest regard, and who did not think of him as embodying the highest traditions of the ministry. “Brother Jeff” was equally at home with rich and poor. He was at ease in the mansion and the cabin alike. He spoke a universal language of the soul, not only through the words that he spoke but also through the life that he lived. We who knew him will miss him, but ours will not be a hopeless grief, for we know that he has gone to be with God, whose fellowship meant so much to him on this earth. And we will be more Godly in our own lives because of the influence of “Brother Jeff.” |
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| Source: Journal of the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Church, Pages 161, 1952 by A. D. St.Amant, Jr. | |
