We regret to inform you that Bill (Kirby) Holladay) died away last night with his wife Pam by his side. He no longer has to worry about pain or suffering because he is with Jesus. Bill Holladay came into this world in Muscatine, Iowa, on May 13, 1944, the son of Floyd and Betty (McConnaha) Holladay.
It was Floyd and Betty who raised him. Wilton High School was his last stop before graduation. In Colorado Springs, Bill and Gaylene A. Martens exchanged wedding vows on May 21, 1966. She died on December 2nd, 2006. His future bride, Diane Sullens, and he were married in Louisburg, North Carolina, on February 18, 2009.
Throughout the Vietnam War, Bill proudly served his nation in the United States Army. After Bill retired with honors from the military, he began driving trucks for Walnut Grove Feeds. After that, he worked for trucking companies such as H&P, D&D, Holladay, and, most recently, Durant Iron and Metal. He loved being outside, especially when it came to fishing and hunting.
In addition to his membership in the Wilton American Legion Post, Bill has held the position of president of the Wilton Jaycees. Above all things, Bill treasured his time with his family and never encountered a stranger.
Bill is survived by his wife, Diane; his children, Juli (Delbert) Schubick, Bradley (Natasha) Holladay, Bambi (Shane) Webb, all of Wilton, Iowa; Bryan (Tonya Salas) Block of Moline, Illinois, and Kendra (Benny) Guy of Muscatine, Iowa; ten grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter expected in March; seven siblings, Mary (Mike Daufeldt) Trotter, David (Carol) Holladay, Janet Marin, Steven (Gina) Holladay, Penny (Dale) McKillip, Robert (Shelley) Holladay, and Paul (Karen) Holladay; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. They brought up four children, a mixed-race brood, during their nearly 47 years of marriage.
They have been married since 1970, when he married Faye Irwin Sebastian. He was an incredibly hard worker throughout his life, and his 27 years of service to Northern Natural Gas were the cherry on top of an already stellar career. In his retirement years, he enjoyed spending time in his Colorado second home, “during the hot months,” with his wife, siblings and their spouses, and adult children and their families when they could make it.
Both before and after he retired, he made sure to spend quality time with his wife. Among his favorite pastimes were football (reliving his glory days), fishing, hunting, camping, and sightseeing. Regularly meeting up with pals for coffee and conversation was one of my favorite parts of my day.
Bill has warm feelings for the Belvue Baptist Church because of his lengthy history of faithful membership there. In addition to his sisters, who he adored and called “Big Mama,” his beloved mother was also a devout Christian and had helped found the church before she passed away.
