Jordan Leon Northcross

Born July 15, 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee, Jordan was the third of five children born to Wilson and Jane Lederer Northcross, who both preceded him in death. Jordan would go on to build his own family, marrying Bettie Kay Brashear on August 8th, 1980 and eventually raising their two daughters and a son in nearby Fayette County.

Jordan attended Memphis University School (1964-1967). He would graduate from White Station High School in 1968 after having survived a horrific motorcycle accident, from which he spent months hospitalized in the summer before his would-be Senior Year at MUS. With that gift of life, Jordan focused himself on his future. He established himself early as a dedicated and meticulous professional with his love of building and design. He would graduate with a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from University of Tennessee at Knoxville in (1975) and returned to Memphis to build his career.

In 1977, Jordan purchased an historic home in La Grange, which provided him with a lifetime of projects, each one a labor of love. Restoration efforts took years, as he developed his own knowledge of historic building, salvaged local materials, and recruited family and friends to help restore the 1838 house that would become the Northcross home. He and Bettie would become residents of LaGrange in 1983 where the family would grow and thrive.

Jordan’s architectural expertise and dedication to historic preservation grew into a larger relationship with the town itself, as he would be instrumental in protecting La Grange’s unique character as a new listing on the National Register of Historic Places, designated two years before his own home purchase. For over four decades he served on the La Grange Planning Commission and the local Historic Zoning Commission. Jordan volunteered tirelessly until his cancer diagnosis, fighting and advocating for his beloved community to ensure it remained the quaint and quiet haven that captured his heart.

Jordan’s fingerprints are found on countless architectural sites and historical places in the Memphis area and beyond. His work can be appreciated locally in places like the historic Collierville Town Square renovation, which was voted “Best Main Street in America” by Parade Magazine in 2014. He was lead-architect of the first “21st Century Schools” built in Shelby County, with Parkway Village Elementary receiving the designation of “Project of the Year” in the Memphis Business Journal's Building Memphis awards in 2021.

Retiring in 2021, Jordan settled into a life of relative leisure, working part time in his professional role and part time volunteering his talents and passions to local efforts and his own home’s maintenance. He and Bettie always enjoyed the simple gifts of life in LaGrange, nourishing and cherishing the local flora and fauna under the open skies. Special delight came with their travels to visit their children: daughter Winona Northcross Jenkinson (Scott) and grandsons Asher and Roan in Johnson City, TN; Althea Northcross (Steve Legare) in Boston; and Leon Northcross (Myra) in San Diego.

In late May 2025, Jordan Northcross was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain tumor. Over the next 10 months, he underwent a multitude of procedures, rehabilitations and relocations until his eventual passing at Methodist Hospice Residence. He was surrounded by his wife, children and friends throughout his illness and left this world enveloped in love.

Jordan Leon Northcross died peacefully in the arms of his loving wife, Bettie, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2026.

He will be remembered by his family and friends as a dedicated husband, loving father, conscientious citizen and a consummate professional. Jordan was often seen sporting one of his signature Irish flat-caps, which crowned his dapper appearance. With his cap, spectacles, mustache and collared shirts, he blended in seamlessly everywhere from Formula 1 races to AIA conventions to the streets of France. He had an insatiable curiosity which fueled his encyclopedic knowledge, and was delighted to share his passions.

Jordan is survived by his wife, three children and two grandsons; brothers Wilson Northcross III of Memphis; W. Van Northcross (Wendy) of West Barnstable, MA; Stephen Northcross (Candice) of Germantown; and sister, Vicki Northcross Fletcher of Perryville, AR.

A remembrance of Jordan’s life will take place Friday, March 27, at 1 p.m. at Immanuel Episcopal Church of LaGrange, with a reception to follow at the LaGrange Civic Center.

In lieu of flowers, the Northcross family requests that you consider giving the gift of perennials to the La Grange Cemetery Daffodil Project at LaGrange Cemetery, (PO Box 33, LaGrange, TN 38046.) Or provide donations to Wolf River Conservancy https://www.wolfriver.org/give.