The Reverend Jerald Leon Holt, ThD, of Enid, OK, entered fully into the presence of the Lord on Saturday, August 28, 2021. He was 77 years old.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 11:00 am at First Baptist Church, Enid with pastor Matt Miles and brother, Lonnie Holt officiating. Committal prayers and interment will follow in Orion Cemetery under the kind guidance of the Amy Stittsworth Funeral Service. There will be a viewing on Friday, September 3, 2021 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Stittsworth Memory Chapel.
Jerry was born on September 30, 1943 in Enid, Oklahoma, the oldest of six children to father Jerald Mack Holt and mother Opal Leona (Ake) Holt. As a young boy he lived in the rural Orion area of Major County until moving to Enid where he graduated with the EHS Class of '61. As part of his path in serving the Lord, Jerry attended Calvary Bible College in Kansas City, MO. It is at this time that he met Shirley Jean Cunningham, his beloved wife of 56 years. Jerry attained his Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Studies from Calvary in 1966, his Master of Religious Education degree from Phillips Theological Seminary in 1969 and his Doctor of Theology degree from Luther Rice Seminary in 1977.
Jerry was a faithful servant of God, serving as the youth minister at the First Baptist Church of Blackwell, OK, and the pastor of several congregations; First Baptist of Red Rock, OK, Amidon Street Baptist of Wichita, KS, Calvary Baptist of Pawhuska, OK, First Baptist of Cherokee, OK, First Baptist of Blanchard, OK, First Baptist of Medford, OK, Victory Baptist of Atlantic, IA, Crusaders Baptist of Wichita, KS, and Liberty Southern Baptist of Enid, OK from which he retired in 2015. Along the way, he led many revivals and worked as a missionary in Mexico, Canada, and the Philippines.
Jerry was also an accomplished horseshoe pitcher, a game that he picked up as a boy and continued to love and enjoy throughout his life. Among his tournament accolades are 4 Oklahoma state championships, 1 Kansas state championship, and six entries into the elite NHPA World Championship class. In 1988 he finished 12th in the world at the NHPA World Championship held in Pleasanton, California with an 18-13 record on 74% ringers (1,437 out of 1,942 shoes thrown). It was also in '88 that he pitched a perfect game en route to winning the Oklahoma state championship. He served as NHPA chaplain for many years and was inducted to the Oklahoma Horseshoe Hall of Fame in 1994.
Jerry is survived by his wife, Shirley, his sons, John and Justin (wife Jacquie), seven grandchildren, Izel, McKenzie, Price, Kathryn, Laci, Marshall, and Miles, five great-grandchildren, Serina, Luke, Roman, Greyson, and Anorah, and his brothers, Lonnie, Roger, and Alan. He was predeceased by his daughter, Tracy, his parents, Jerald and Opal, his brother Danny, and his sister Karen. He will also be greatly missed by countless beloved extended family and friends. Remembrances may be shared online at www.stittsworthfuneralservices.com.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Jerald Leon Holt, ThD, please visit our floral store.