Nathan F. (Red) Holeman died on Dec. 24, 2013. He was born July 16, 1925 to George and Hazel Holeman in Tuxedo Junction on the outskirts of Bartlesville, OK.
As a young man Red was a ranch hand/cowboy, worked on the Santa Fe railroad and moved houses before joining the USMC in 1943. Nate served four years in the Pacific in the 6th Marine Division, fighting on Okinawa and Guam, then disarming Japanese troops in Tsingtao, China before receiving an honorable discharge in 1946.
Nate came to Bremerton, Wash, upon discharge and entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 1948, retiring in 1981. A resident of Port Orchard, Wash., from 1948-1997, he is survived by his wife Lois; three daughters, Joni Holeman of Sterling, Va.; Kathy Peterson of Hayward, Wisc., and Gayle Kundert of Port Orchard, Wash.; plus two sisters, Janet Walker of Everett, Wash., and Joyce Fowler of Puyallup, Wash.
Nate and Lois were avid RV motorhome campers, hitting the road in 1997 for Salem, Ore., to help his nephew operate the stadium for the Salem-Kaizer Volcanoes AAA baseball team. In 2001 they rolled into Hayward, Wisc., to be near grandchildren Megan and Christopher Peterson, both of Richfield, Minn. In Port Orchard, Wash., Nate is also survived by six more grandchildren: Brandon, Joe, Amanda, Jessie and Chelsea Kundert, along with Tony May. Nate’s great-grandson Kailar Kundert was born in May 2013.
Nate and Lois have been living with their daughter Joni in Sterling, Va. They are members of Christ the King Lutheran Church where Nate was active in the Men’s Breakfast Group. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Feb. 8, followed in July with interment at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, consider a contribution to the Memorial Fund of Christ The King Lutheran, 10550 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA 22066-2416. Visit www.colonialfuneralhome.com.