Jesse was a retired employee at Affinity, Eastern Associated Coal as a tipple operator.
He is preceded in death by his loving wife of 66 years, Irene Pike Terry; daughter Helen; 2 brothers Clayton and Ernest; son-in-law Earl Richards; 2 brothers-in-law Ray Taylor and Rush Reed.
Jesse is survived by his daughter Margie Richards of Crab Orchard; grandson Robert Richards and his wife Evonne of Grandview; great-granddaughter Nicole Blankenship and her husband Nick of Midway; 4 great-great-grandsons Kaiden, Waylon, Brentley, and Maddox of Midway; sisters Laura Reed of Columbia, SC and Elva Taylor of Midway; and many nieces, nephews, and friends who will miss him dearly.
Jesse was a veteran of WWII where he saw action in Naples. He was a member of the 36th Infantry Division where he and the rest of the Division took a walking tour of Europe ending up in Germany. He returned home on December 19, 1945 during a major snow storm. He was also one of the oldest members of the Midway Church of God. He loved to spend his time hunting and most importantly fishing with his wife.
The family will receive friends for visitation on Friday, January 10, 2020 from 11 am - 1 pm at Blue Ridge Funeral Home. A Funeral Service will follow at 1 pm with a burial at Canaday Cemetery in Crab Orchard. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Hospice of Southern WV; PO Box 1472, Beckley, WV 25802. The Beckley Police Department, West Virginia State Police, and Raleigh County Sheriffs Office has the honor of being pallbearers. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blueridgefuneralhome.com. Blue Ridge Funeral Home has the honor of serving the family.