Verner Nicholson Jordan Jr.

With broken hearts, the family announces the passing of Verner Nicholson Jordan, Jr., father, grandfather, husband, friend, mentor, and constant supporter, on October 9th 2025. He was 90 years old. When asked how he was doing, he would cheerfully reply “pretty good for an old man!”   

Born in the Hickory Grove community of Mecklenburg County, he came from generations of local farmers. His parents were Verner N. Jordan and Laura Thelma Stilwell Jordan. His childhood stories were full of rural life events: watching his grandfather run his farm and butcher shop, and his grandmother cooking on a pot bellied stove. His life was full of animals, a love he carried with him throughout his life. 

Verner’s family helped found Hickory Grove United Methodist Church, built with stones cleared from his grandfather’s farm. He was the first baby baptized in the church and grew up singing in its choir, where his mother served as organist. The church became a central pillar of his life. He was married there, attended the adjoining elementary school, and its graveyard is now home to generations of family. Verner also forged lifelong friendships in Hickory Grove, celebrating his dear friend Sam Biggers’ 90th birthday just days before his passing.

A graduate of East Mecklenburg High School, Verner was part of its first class and returned over the years to sing the National Anthem at football games with friends Sam and Charlie Crabtree. They also sang at local churches, briefly going as “The Gospel Harmonaires”. As a teen, he worked for his uncle Meredith Stilwell as an electrician, eventually earning a Journeyman’s card and believed to be the youngest person in Charlotte to do so. He used those skills to work weekends to pay his way through college.

Verner obtained a BS in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University. He enlisted in the army, completed bootcamp at Ft. Jackson while in college (leading him to share that Columbia, SC is the hottest place on earth), and served in the Army Corps of Engineers, reserves, where he taught drafting for over four years.

He followed graduation by going into the commercial construction field, working for Charlotte firms Boyd and Goforth and DC Turner before founding V. N. Jordan Construction Company in the late 1970s. He built 363 buildings, mostly around the Charlotte region, such as the movie theater at Park Road Shopping center, the Cameron Brown Building, the hotel at 538 S McDowell (currently a Sheraton), and many medical office spaces from the 1980’s. If you are in a medical office building from that era in Charlotte, chances are, Verner Jordan built it. His daughters fondly recall driving through town as he pointed out buildings he constructed—his legacy literally built into the landscape of the city.

During a college break, Verner noticed a young woman raking leaves across the street in white shorts. His mother was startled to find him by the window, peering through the scope of his shotgun—not to fire, but to get a better look. That young woman, Pat Kerr, would become the love of his life and wife of 65 years. After Pat earned her degree from Queens College, the couple married and eventually built a home 4310 Town & Country Drive, raising three daughters there.

Verner’s life was defined not only by his work but by his community involvement. He served on the founding boards of Central Piedmont Community College and Carmel Country Club, and was a committed supporter of Catawba College, believing deeply in the value of education, especially for women.

A passionate woodworker and musician, Verner taught himself to play and build guitars. Over the years, he crafted about sixteen custom guitars, each inlaid with ornate mother-of-pearl designs and gifted to fellow musicians. His basement woodshop became both a luthier studio and a space for bonding with his daughters, creating everything from jewelry boxes to Girl Scout projects and wood portfolio cases for college interviews. Sourcing wood became an adventure, often leading to Appalachian outposts with outhouses and moonshine.

When Pat was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1988, the couple set out on a new adventure. They bought a sail boat named “Puff”, and moved to Wild Dunes on Isle of Palms, SC, fulfilling Pat’s dream of living near the ocean. There, Verner launched his “retirement business,” Canac Cabinets (later Jilco), selling cabinetry to developers and remaining active in the Charleston building boom for over two decades.

In Charleston, Verner not only built a home on Morgan Place in Wild Dunes, but also a vibrant life filled with music, sailing, and friends. He became an integral part of the local live music scene, often playing with close friends like Carroll Brown. Their home became a gathering place for family beach weeks and weddings, with all three daughters marrying in the Charleston area, a testament to the joy the family found in the Lowcountry.

In his later years, Verner found success again in property development, partnering with local entrepreneurs to build multiple business parks around Charleston—work he enjoyed right up to his final days. “I only wish I had started development sooner,” he often said.

In 2016 Verner and Pat returned to Charlotte to Brightmore of South Charlotte, a senior community in Ballantyne. Though they missed their view of the lagoon with the egrets that they cherished, here they found new friends, and a community that suited them. Throughout their lives Verner and Pat hosted parties – from back yard bar-b-ques with music, to Charleston Christmas parties, and so it did not take long for Verner to realize that he needed to gather the fourth floor residents at Brightmore for happy hour, and sometimes he was able to bring his music to those, too! He was sad to leave this community, and it had been a wonderful home for them.

While music was a great love of Verner’s, no love compared to his enduring love for Pat. Verner was a tireless caregiver as Pat’s Parkinson’s disease progressed, and he refused to ever sleep a night not being able to hold her hand in his. 

Verner lived with an auto-immune disease that caused an arthritis-type immobility in his neck. He had been unable to turn his head for many years – causing him to abandon his beloved golf (and his braggable handicap) decades ago, and stripping him of his ability to drive in recent years. The family was shocked and saddened when he suffered an unexpected fall from which he was unable to recover. He was vibrant and happy until the very end, and he was surrounded by all three daughters and all three sons-in-law when he passed peacefully. We all know he was taken too soon.

Verner is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 65 years, Patricia (Pat) Kerr Jordan, his daughters Jill Michelle Jordan (Joe Montalto), Shelly Jordan Rydell (Shannon), Brandon Jordan Pham (Kiet), six grandchildren; Olivia and Jack Montalto, Paige and Libby Rydell, Jordan and Reese Pham, his beloved Cousin Linda Johnston Little (Colin) and their children, and his brother- and sister- in laws Terry Leigh Kerr and Danny Edward Kerr. A service and receiving will be held Sunday, October 19th at 2pm at Hickory Grove United Methodist Church.

If you are inclined to make a donation in Verner’s name, he is a longtime supporter of the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s disease research michaeljfox.org and the Alzheimer's Association alz.org. Direct tribute page link to make a donation is https://tribute.michaeljfox.org/tribute-page.php?id=3361