Vicki Nepote Bolton

Vicki Nepote Bolton, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, died in the comfort of home and in the presence of her family on Sunday, October 31, 2021.

Vicki was born August 10, 1950. After her father’s untimely death when she was three years old, she and her two siblings were raised by their resilient mother in Decatur, GA. She attended Toney Elementary School and Southwest Dekalb High School, where important lifelong friendships were seeded. Always creative and skilled with her hands, she sewed a steady supply of dresses for herself and her sister, and then would adjust these for costumes years later. Vicki was also a true humanist, and went on to complete bachelor degrees in Anthropology at Georgia State University and Music Therapy at Georgia College. During this time she worked for the Georgia Southern Railway Company, as well as the Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, GA, where she met her future husband, Philip Bolton, at the college cafeteria. They were married in 1978, and moved to Avondale Estates, GA, where a relationship of 43 years flourished based on love, commitment, generosity, humor, and forgiveness on the tennis court.

Vicki and Philip raised their two children in Avondale, and she devoted herself to running a household. She was involved in the PTA and multiple school productions at Avondale Elementary, most memorably donning a white tuxedo as “Tinkles White Ivory” on the piano for the musical Aladdin. In 1988, she and her young family moved for two years to Paris, France for Philip’s work. Though not fluent in the language, Vicki readily adapted to parenting children immersed in the French school system. Following the family’s return to Avondale, and as her children left home for college, she took on a progressively active role at Philip’s company GlobalAtlanta, helping him craft it into an award-winning source for international news in the Southeast. Vicki and her family also had strong ties to the rocky coast of southern Maine, where they gathered regularly over decades to connect with extended family, celebrate holidays and weddings, and make beautiful memories. Her two granddaughters were especially touched by times shared with “G’ma” against this magical backdrop.

For many years, Vicki was highly involved at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Decatur, GA, where her roles included Vestry member, choir soprano, and youth group leader. In Avondale, Vicki was a part of multiple clubs and events, and her fondness for the community was evident in the close bonds she formed with so many neighbors. She was known for her tennis prowess on the local courts, and she also played in the ALTA and USTA leagues. Aided by Vicki’s dominating backhand, her team placed third in the 2019 USTA national championships.

While serious about tennis, Vicki’s love of music was central to her relationship with the world around her, and she carried this passion without pretension. As a young girl, her musical interest was sparked by her mother’s hymns played at the piano, and this was further cultivated while at college. She had an extraordinary ability to play several instruments, but spent the most time with her cherished piano. Her children grew up to the sound of Mozart, Scott Joplin, and Christmas favorites in the background as she poured hours into her piano’s keyboard. She could pull out the guitar and turn back the clock with tunes from the Beatles and Peter, Paul, and Mary. Over the years, she taught music to children in her neighborhood, and later to children who were newly settled international refugees. At a party, she could sit at the piano and have people singing along in no time. In addition to her time in the church choir and Christmas handbell group, she sang with the Collegium Vocale, the Atlanta Resistance Revival Chorus, was a longstanding member of the Dekalb Choral Guild, and would revel with the neighborhood singing group “The Sistas.”

Vicki’s death on Halloween seems poignant for the fact that ever since September 2001, she preferred an uplifting approach to her Halloween decor, outfitting the front porch with “The Pearly Gates of Heaven.” She and Philip, dressed as an angel and St. Peter, would welcome hundreds of trick-or-treaters under a disco ball, with the O’Jays’ “Stairway to Heaven” at top volume. Over the years she would continue to apply this humane and compassionate tendency to her interpretation of events near and far, and to the causes she supported. For four years she dyed her hair blue as an act of political will. Vicki’s genuine warmth, unassuming nature, unique combination of practical and emotional intelligence, and good humor drew people to her. Her resolve in facing an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia was inspirational, and her body was overcome before her will. Though her loss is all too soon and painful, her uplifting spirit was reflected by her friends and loved ones gathering outside her window to sing, celebrate, and grieve together in the hours before her passing.

Vicki was preceded in death by her parents, Cecil Nepote and Hilma Helton Nepote. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Philip Peters Bolton of Avondale Estates, GA, her children, son Kenyon Castle Bolton IV and wife Amanda Patricia Caron, of East Montpelier, VT, and daughter Mary Caterina (Trina) Bolton and partner Stuart Maximilian Lemley, of Washington, DC. She is also survived by her grandchildren Ida Rising Caron Bolton and Alvy Allain Caron Bolton, as well as her brother Michael Paul Nepote, and wife Deborah Barrett Nepote of Carrabelle, FL, and her sister Cecile Nepote Hance of Perry, FL. She also leaves behind many cousins, nephews, and nieces. Lastly, she was the guardian of many canine friends, most recently Lil’ Bow Wow.

A private family service will be held at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Decatur, GA in late November. A musical memorial event will be planned for spring 2022. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Dekalb Choral Guild www.dekalbchoralguild.org