Jesse Marvin Vannoy, 81, passed away peacefully on Tuesday August 9, 2022, surrounded by family at Olivia White Hospice House in Flagstaff, AZ.

He was born July 4, 1941 in Coolidge AZ, to Beela (Treadway) and Jesse Vannoy, the oldest of four children.  He began working when he was 12 years old, selling day-old donuts to help provide for his siblings.  In high school he was the youngest ever to be made a cashier at Bayless grocery store, able to correctly remember and enter the innumerous item numbers and prices, maintaining his register till without error.  He studied Mathematics in college, was trained in electronics and was an instructor while in the Air Force.

After the Air Force, he returned to Arizona and began working for an insurance company.  He worked in the Globe/Miami area, and it was there he met his first wife Betty Alvarez, with whom he would raise three daughters.  He was soon employed by IBM as a young salesman, hired by exception as he had not completed his college degree.  He was given the challenge of growing a struggling territory across Northern Arizona and the Navajo and Hopi reservations.  He accepted the position and moved his young family to Flagstaff.   Within only a few years he twice earned the Golden Circle award, given to IBM's top 5% of their salesforce, for outstanding sales and customer leadership.

Throughout his career he was an active member in the Flagstaff Civitan club and helped develop the Jr. Civitan club to support teen engagement in community service.  In retirement he continued serving by volunteering at The Guidance Center, where he often led relapse-prevention meetings, sponsored numerous people in AA, and counseled and mentored many others.

It was around this time, several years divorced, he met his wife Marguerite and together they shared their time and their home to help those in need.  They were happily married for 6 years before her untimely passing.  He was devastated by her loss but was buoyed by the mutual love and support of Marguerite's children and young grandchildren, as well as his closest friends, and was able to regain a sense of purpose and joy in his life.

As a widower, he volunteered as a senior companion, then a hospice volunteer at Northland Hospice.  While at Northland Hospice he became involved in their fundraising efforts and was honored to be elected to the board as Fundraising Chair.

In his later years he lived for a brief time in Greenville, SC.  He quickly became a fixture in his retirement community.  He welcomed and gave tours to potential residents, began a weekly discussion group, sang in the choir, hosted a regular poker night, was a beanbag baseball champion, and singlehandedly manned, curated, and elevated movie night into a top social activity.  He became the de facto Resident Liaison, advocating for his fellow residents their concerns to management.  In his short time there he made many special friendships that he cherished.

His success and joy in his life was due to his gift of making meaningful connections with people, acknowledging and honoring the individual in his interactions, and offering sound and sage advice if asked.  He was intelligent, quick-witted, patient, always learning, and always seeking out ways to help others.

Complications from a progressive illness brought him back to Flagstaff and to Northland Hospice, this time as a hospice patient.  It was the perfect place for him to spend his final days, surrounded by the mountains and by those he called "my people" – the family, friends, and community he served with for so many years.  He was a loving son, brother, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, and godfather.  He was a trusted and loyal friend to many.

He is preceded in death by his loving wife Marguerite, his brother-in law Lee Schermerhorn, and his nephew Jamie Schermerhorn.  He is survived by his three daughters, stepdaughter, stepsons, and their spouses, by thirteen grandchildren, one great grandchild, and by his three siblings, nieces and nephews.  He is also survived by those special friends who were like family to him.  His memory and love will endure in all of those whose lives he touched.