John H. Holt

John Howard Holt, 86, of 2715 S. Jefferson, Mason City, died Thursday, June 23, 2011, at his home, with family by his side. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, June 28, 2011, at Our Saviours Lutheran Church, 2502 South Jefferson Avenue, with Rev. Emily Horrell officiating. Interment will be in Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 PM to 7:00 P.M. on Monday, (June 27, 2011), at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue and continue at the church one hour prior to the service. Memorials may be directed to the John Holt memorial fund, in care of the family. John was born October 12, 1924, in Thompson, Iowa, the son of Robert and Anna (Klaassen) Holt. At a young age they moved to Mason City where he attended school. He joined the Armed Forces in 1942, fought in WWII, where he was involved in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. It was there where he met his wife Monique (Caerts). They were united in marriage on December 22, 1945 in Belgium, then returned to live in Mason City in April 1946. To this union, two children were born, son Robert (Bob) L. Holt and daughter Lou Ann (Holt) Morris. John worked for a short time at Jacob E. Deckers. He joined the Mason City Fire Department in July 1946, where he held every rank in the department. He was promoted fire chief in 1970. While being chief, the new fire station was built. John retired May 1, 1980 after thirty-three years of service. He was a member of Our Saviours Lutheran Church, Iowa Firefighters Association, Iowa Fire Chiefs Association, the International Fire Chiefs Association, and the V.F.W. In his earlier years, John loved to play basketball. He was a city marble champion, an avid bowler, and golfer. He loved playing cards with his family and relaxing in his patio, with his little poodle, Misty, sitting at his feet. He enjoyed gardening and canning vegetables. He was a great cook and will always be remembered for the many wonderful soups he cooked for various functions at Our Saviours Lutheran Church. John loved watching sports on T.V. and was a loyal fan of the Vikings, Cubs, and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Most of all, Johns family was the love of his life, especially, Monique, his wife of sixty-five years. John always showed love and support towards his family and will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Monique Holt of Mason City; his children: Robert Holt of Mason City; daughter, Lou Ann and special friend Bob of Clear Lake; granddaughters: Tammy (Holt) Fender and husband Dennis of St. Joseph, MO, Lori (Holt) Whitney and husband Steve of Mason City, Sherrie (Morris) Hernandez of Mason City, and Mandy Morris and fianc Gerardo of Mason City; great-grandchildren: Brittany, Jacob, Chelse, Chayse, Kelsey, Starr, Christian, Chela, Marky and Monica; great-great grandchildren: Connor, Naveah, Addison and Amya; sisters: Ocie Smallfoot and late husband Harold of Clear Lake and Betty Esser and husband Marvin of Mason City; along with many cousins, nieces, nephews, and many friends. John was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents. The family would like to express a special thanks to Hospice for all their support. Memorials may be directed to the John Holt memorial fund, in care of the family.

Memorials:
Memorials may be directed to the John Holt memorial fund, in care of the family.

Cemetery:
Interment will be in Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery

Visitation:
Visitation will be from 4:00 PM to 7:00 P.M. on Monday, (June 27, 2011), at Major Erickson Funeral Home and continue at the church on Tuesday, one hour prior to the service

Service:
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, June 28, 2011, at Our Saviours Lutheran Church