Ernest O. Jordan

Ernest Olyon Jordan was born on August 1, 1937, in Sandersville, Georgia. Ernest was the eleventh of twelve children born to the late Peirce and Willa Mae Jordan. He accepted Christ at an early age and was a member of Green Grove Baptist Church in Sandersville Ga. He always acknowledges that “it was nobody but the Lord that’s keeping him and giving him strength in his sickness and throughout his life” He encourage you to always have hope. He was determined and hardworking, since the young age of ten. Ernest quit school to help with taking care of the family. Once his father became ill, Ernest started working on the farm plowing the fields. By the time Ernest was 13, he worked running a machine to cut wheat and hay and worked at the Sawmill. In 1955, Ernest turned 18 and relocated to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1959 he joined Local 860 Labor Union as a construction worker. At this time, he also met the love of his life, Frances Scales. Ernest and Frances were married on February 20th, 1960, where they settled in Cleveland and had 7 children.

Ernest worked hard to provide for his family. Never letting inclement weather prevent him from working to ensure his family’s needs were met. Ernest worked hard in his field, starting off as a laborer and then progressed to foreman and supervisor. He was known by his peers as “Soul” and “Hammer Man” due to his perfection at running a jackhammer and his ability to “out spike the average man”. During his career with Local 860, Ernest worked for several construction companies; Acme, Penta, McNally, RTA and ProConstruction, just to name a few. After a long career in construction, Ernest retired in 1994.

Ernest leaves to cherish his memory, seven children: Ernest Jordan, Jr. (Elizabeth), Delbert Jordan (Elvia), Anetta Jordan (Darrell Stokes), Denise Blount (Sidney), Donald Jordan (Shanita), Ronald Jordan and Sabrina Jones (Donte). 26 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren, one sister Tressie Lee Dudley, Sandersville Georgia, brother-n-law James Scales, Columbus Ohio one sister-in-law Berniece Jordan Cleveland, Ohio and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends.