Alvin Jackson (Jack) Secrest, Jr., age 86 of College Ave, died Saturday, March 18, 2023 at his home with family and loved ones present.

He was born in Rutherford County and was the son of Alvin Jackson Secrest and Bertie Lou Wright Secrest. Jack was a devoted husband and loving father and grandfather.

After graduating from Shelby High School, Jack attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a degree in English. As a graduate student, Jack earned a Medical Degree from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine.

While studying medicine in Winston Salem, Jack met his wife Ginger who was a nursing student at Salem College. They were married on November 26, 1960 and upon graduation from Bowman Gray moved to Richmond, VA for internship and then completed residency training in Urology at Duke University. Prior to starting his own practice of Urology in Shelby in April of 1971, Jack served in the United States Air Force from 1968 - 1971 stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, LA.

Jack was a long time member of Central United Methodist Church. He also enjoyed many aspects of the outdoors, including golfing, hiking, skiing, and traveling. This love of the high country gathered significant momentum as a high school student upon his embarkment on The Western Tour via Young Life organization which bused from Shelby to Buena Vista, Colorado. He enjoyed this experience so much that he spent the following summer on work crew at Young Life's Silver Cliff Ranch in Buena Vista.

This love of outdoors and the mountains pushed him to take up golf in the back half of his life, and he enjoyed many rounds with family and friends at Grandfather Golf and Country Club. Jack and his beloved wife Ginger wintered on Kiawah Island, SC during their retirement where Jack continued his pursuit of the game of golf via the Kiawah Island Club.

Jack is survived by his three sons, Alvin Jackson Secrest III, and wife Haley of Cottonwood, Idaho, Edward Blair Secrest of Raleigh, and David Alexander Secrest and wife Natalie of Charlotte, one sister and brother-in-law, Elizabeth (Libby) and Mike Trull of Winston Salem, four grandchildren, Trotter, Benjamin, Parks, and Winnie.

The Secrest Family will hold a private funeral service.

Jack and his family express sincere gratitude to the care giving team that gave Jack such great care in the last years of his life.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDRF, PO Box 37920, Boone, IA 50037-0920; reference Charlotte, NC Chapter) or Young Life of Cleveland County, (PO Box 1757, Shelby, NC 28151).

Online condolences may be made at www.cecilmburtonfuneralhome.com

Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the family.