Jeffery "Jeff" Charmaine Bolton

Tuesday June 15, 1954               Saturday May 16, 2020

Sunrise                            Sunset

Jeffery "Jeff" Charmaine Bolton was born on June 15, 1954 in Atlanta, Georgia. Jeff professed his love and dedication to Christ at an early age at Butler Street Baptist Church in Downtown Atlanta. He had an affinity for studying God's word and participating in discussions about its interpretation.  He was educated in the Atlanta City Schools. After graduation, he joined and served the United States Army.  Unfortunately, while completing a maneuver, he sustained an injury that ended his military career.  The agonizing physical and emotional pain lingered the remainder of his life. In his earthly weakness, the struggle with this pain led him to efforts of self-medicating which led to decades of his battling alcohol and drug dependence. With His guidance, Jeff developed a love for prayer and devotion with God.  All praises to God, as Jeff overcame those demons and used the remainder of his life to share his testimony and lift others that were battling those same demons. Through his witnessing and dedication to others battling addiction, and with God's lead, Jeff helped save many others from the evil curse of addiction.  He was proud of and thankful for his own success at beating addiction, but he was elated over the lives and souls he was able to save because of the experiences he learned while walking the same difficult path to recovery!

After honorably retiring from the military, Jeffen rolled at Georgia Southern College and pursueda study in Civil Engineering. With that educational achievement he began his employment career. Over a span of many years, he was employed by several prominent engineering firms in the city of Atlanta where he contributed to the development of The Georgia Dome, Fulton County Judicial Center, Atlanta City Jail, a host of landfills, hotels and government buildings. He took great pride in his work and often expressed that pride as he drove through downtown Atlanta and other areas with beautiful buildings and land sites that bore his blueprint talent. Jeff relocated to Birmingham, Alabama in 1992 to embark upon a career advancement opportunity in engineering.

Jeff's love for his family was displayed through his willingness to protect them whenever he felt their safety or wellbeing was compromised. While he was proud of his career accomplishments, his greatest love and pride was found in that of his family.  Jeff made it his life mission to amend the pain caused by his absence during his life storms. He realized he could not fix the past, but he gave it his all to make the future better for those he loved.  Jeff was ALWAYS a prayer warrior and a man of God even in his darkest moments. His love for the Lord and knowledge of the Bible kept him afloat through the turbulent times and aided him in returning to the light during his darkest times. Along with God's forgiveness, he prayed for the forgiveness of loved ones that suffered with him through his time of disparity. Though all could see the wounded man made whole , life still was not easy but Jeff, a man of great faith, never ceased to pray and trust God to see him through. Amid the storm he remained calm, and God's Grace and Mercy bought him through. Jeff also delighted himself in participating in church activities, most notable the Senior Citizen's Ministry at New Vision Christian Church.  He eagerly awakened on weekday mornings to hang out with the gals because majority of the time he was the only male there!  He learned a lot from them and practiced the lessons learned to better his home life and evolve into a better man.

Jeff was blessed in many ways throughout life, but his greatest blessing was meeting the one person on earth who had the love, the patience, and the dedication to walk with him from the ugly path of addiction to a life free of dependence, his beautiful wife Bernita.  Jeff passionately loved Bernita, and that love was reciprocated in abundance. Jeff and Bernita shared many things, but the greatest gift they had in common was their dedication to helping others and providing guidance and stability to those in need during hard times, and more so their absolute love and commitment to children.  Jeff and Bernita opened their hearts and home up to many and provided love, shelter, and guidance while those people attempted to regain control of their lives.  At any given time, they usually had someone living with them; someone in need, and often someone with children.  They saved these kids from homelessness, and life in the streets!  Some of these people were family, but many were near strangers at the time they entered Jeff and Bernita's lives.  Because of the stability and love provided, most of thoseare now thriving in life, and have become adopted family.  The number of children saved by these selfless acts of love is a testimony to their dedication to the Children of God; they were always there when most would turn a blind eye.  The other gift they shared was the gift of humor.  The love and joy they shared was evident to anyone in their lives. Their home was a house of laughter, jokes and funny stories. Whether your visit was long or short, Bolton's Houses of Jokes and Laughter guaranteed entertainment; Jeff and Bernitatopped any comedy show at a club! Jeff and Bernita  both loved to travel, so they often hit the road with just the two of them and inhaled the essence of God's majestic creations throughout the universe. Bernita was Jeff's world, and he was hers. As health issues plagued Jeff, it was Bernita who juggled a full-time job, raising a teenage daughter, providing shelter to others, meeting Jeff's needs, and transporting him to various medical appointments.  She carried all of this on her shoulders, while always keeping a smile on her face, a spirit of giving in her heart, and laughter to lift those around her.  Together they shared selfless love that served as the foundation of their marriage and enabled them to be servants of God by making the world a better place for all that they touched.  They were a beautiful team, and while Bernita will surely carry on the torch of their mission to the less fortunate, she will dearly miss her partner in life and in love.  Their marriage and relationship should serve as a goal for others; dedication, love and commitment will serve you well on earth and lead you to a lifetime of eternal peace and harmony.

Jeff was preceded in death by his mother, Eufaula Bolton and father, Jeff Mattox. Those left to mourn Jeff's passing from his earthly existence are his loving and devoted wife, Bernita and adopted daughter (granddaughter) Areiona Bolton.  He also leaves behind his first love and mother of his biological sons, Gwen Bolton. The legacy of his season is left to his children, Alex and Jeffery Bolton, Semaj Sierra(Kasey), grandchildren Kaniyah and Jeffery Bolton, III (Atlanta, GA), and Jaime, Sophia and Xavier Sierra (Fort Stewart, GA).  He also leave behind his one and only brother, Otis Kell Johnson (Kim); his dedicated sisters Delores Johnson, Merna Banks, DaVonne Bolden, Richard (Greedy) Milliones, a special 40-year brother-sister bond with his birthday twin Esther "Skeet." And as mentioned earlier, those kids he took in and loved as his own, the "adopted" grandchildren Deondra,  Akiria, McKenzie, Ecarian and Fallon, as well as a  host of other children, cousins, nephews, and nieces, that completed his world.

A Celebration of Life will be held Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at New Vision Christian Center Church in Helena. Rev. Van C. Houser – Pastor/Officiating