Jacques Jolie

Jacques Jolie, 83, passed away peacefully on June 21, 2025 in Lorton, VA.

The youngest of three children, Jacques was born August 6, 1941 in Birmingham, Alabama to Margaret Ella Jolly and Jack Jefferson Jolly. After the family relocated to Virginia , Jacques attended high school in Charlottesville, VA.

In 1958, Jacques traveled with a group of students from Lane High School to Richmond, petitioning the governor to reopen the schools in support of integration–a meeting later profiled by Look magazine. During his studies at the University of Virginia, Jacques was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and president of the Jefferson Chapter of the Council on Human Relations. He assisted in getting their charter approved by the Student Council in 1961.

While at UVA, Jacques befriended sports equipment manager, Raymond Chief, who invited him to meet his family and watch football. In 1962, he married Raymond's daughter Elizabeth and together they built a life that spanned six decades. For many of those years, they called St. Leonard, MD home.

Jacques served in the United States Air Force, achieving the rank of Captain. He went on to have a long and productive career working for the Department of Health and Human Services.

He loved to be outside whether he was working in the garden, canoeing, or fishing. He read deeply in history-especially the Civil War-and spent years tracing family lines through genealogy.

Jacques was predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth. He is survived by his children André (Julia), Aaron (Denise), Edward (Ruth), and Katherine (Michael Tolhurst); grandchildren Tyler (Mary Nolte), Chase, Skyler, and Eleanor; and great-grandchild Rowan.