Dr. Jesse L.S. Pendleton, 91, passed away on April 27, 2026 at his home in Virginia Beach surrounded by his loved ones.

Jesse was born in the Berkley area of Norfolk, VA on August 26, 1934. He had a hunger for learning from the start, and with his near photographic memory, backed by a sharp discerning intellect and wit, he skipped his first two years of grade school and never looked back. Jesse earned his BA Magna Cum Laude from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, and his MA and PhD from Clark University in Worcester, MA. He became a professor emeritus at Norfolk State University in Va. where he was a captivating professor of physical geography, history, critical thinking and logic. He also taught on other campuses and at correctional facilities. He deeply enjoyed mentoring his students. Dr. Pendleton retired in 2011 after teaching for 53 years. Always seeking knowledge, he left no library or university he passed unexplored.

He was an iconoclast. He and his beloved wife Elizabeth Pendleton were the first biracial couple to move into Virginia after the Supreme Court Loving Case struck down bans on interracial marriage in 1967. He was a consummate student of life, love and fatherhood. He had a passion for crabbing, competing in ballroom dancing, traveling, collecting $2 bills, seeding the perfect lawn, and kicking back with a Dr. Pepper. He had many oddball adventures while searching for aluminum cans and hidden treasures via his metal detector. He loved his time working within the Woods of Avalon Civic League, and researching the historical significance of Hodges House in the Campostella District. And he was fascinated by what people of all ages thought, and why. He proudly raised his daughters to have similar curiosities and beliefs about life, adventure, people and distant places.

Left to cherish countless memories are: his two daughters Beth (and husband Paul Westefer) and Jessica (and husband Andy Parks), his grandchildren Naya and Divia Parks and Jackson Westefer, his sisters Anita Cook and Regina Scott, his in-laws David and Renate Hillhouse, and many loving cousins. He is predeceased by the love of his life and his best friend Elizabeth H Pendleton, his wife of 47 years.

The family will receive friends at Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home, Kempsville Chapel on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 11am for a memorial service followed by a reception. The home going will be in Worcester County Memorial Park, Paxton MA.

Jesse will be deeply missed by many, but his legacy of scholarship, wisdom and deep love of family will remain with us always. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to CureCMD Collagen 6 Parks Family Fund (https://www.curecmd.org/donate) or Norfolk State University (https://alumnirelations.nsu.edu/donate).

We would like to give a heartfelt thank you to Christina Gonzalez, Christine Watson, Tracia Hunt, and Lundi Perry for their dedicated care, love and support of our father over the last year and a half. We couldn’t ask for a better care team. And thank you to Jeff, Doreen, Ella and Westminster Hospice for guiding us through those last days.