Dennis Holder

Denny Holder was a happy-hearted man with a familiar smile and a frequent laugh. He had an adventurer's spirit and always sought to get the most out of life. Denny was a devoted father and grandpa, and each day he tried to share his happiness with his beloved family.

In the year 1944 the Second World War pushed toward its climax with the landing of Allied forces on the beaches of Normandy. Despite the uncertainty of the war, Mark and Evelyn (Haley) Holder maintained their optimistic spirits by focusing on the blessings in their life together. Just a few days after Christmas, on December 28, 1944, they welcomed their son Dennis into their home in Paw Paw, Michigan.

The third of four children, Dennis, or "Denny," enjoyed a happy childhood amid the company of his siblings Allen, Bonnie, and Doug. While his mother stayed at home to keep the house and watch over the kids, his father made a living as a steel worker for a stove company; he was also the first constable of Mattawan. Denny's Grandma Haley also lived with the family.

As a young boy, Denny enjoyed sports and often played basketball with his friends. He generally loved the outdoors, and he would often pass an afternoon hunting and fishing. Often times the whole family would go on hunting trips together, and Denny had many fond memories from these occasions. These hobbies would follow him throughout his life, as would his love for cars, which he also discovered in his early youth.

Denny and his siblings were always very close. Since Bonnie was the only girl, Denny and his brothers loved to pick on her. Allen, who was eight years older, said that Denny was a typical younger brother and sometimes a pain in the neck. Meanwhile, Doug always looked up to Denny, especially since Denny would allow him to tag along, sometimes even on dates.

By his teenage years, Denny had committed himself to two loves-cars and girls. His brother Doug joked that he seemed to have a different car and girl every week. After completing the eleventh grade, Denny left school to work-as he needed to work to support all his cars and girlfriends. But before he left school, he met an attractive cheerleader by the name of Alice Parker. When they began dating, she was fourteen and Denny was seventeen. Four years later, after Alice graduated, they were married in a Portage church with the minister Phil Steele presiding. For their honeymoon the newlyweds headed out to the Wisconsin Dells.

Though Denny's marriage would end in divorce after eleven years, he and Alice were blessed with three handsome boys. Nine months after their marriage, Mark was born, followed by James and Dennis Jr. To provide for his family, Denny began working construction and also managed his own hog farm.

In 1980 Denny met another attractive young lady, Debbie Lantz, a waitress at Gaspar's Pizza. After a brief courtship they were married. In 1982 they were blessed with the birth of their child Amanda, who in Denny's eyes could do no wrong. The family then moved down to Florida, where Denny easily found construction work. They built their own home, but a few years later they decided to return to Michigan. After twelve years of marriage, they too divorced.

Denny continued to work in the construction business, and he built quite a reputation for himself as a Crane Operator. For several years he worked for Milbocker and Sons, and he later transferred to Bultema Construction and also worked for Canonie Construction. He truly enjoyed his work, and he even began purchasing his own equipment to do side jobs under the business label "Denny's Excavating." His work enabled him to travel quite a bit: in Puerto Rico he worked on the barges, and when Mt. Saint Helen erupted he was sent to help with the relief effort.

As Denny grew older, he never lost hold of the fun-loving spirit of his youth. He was a huge NASCAR fan and always cheered for #6 Mark Martin. He loved to cookout on his grill and enjoyed hosting family get-togethers where it seemed a friendly game of poker was always part of the festivities. Denny liked to drink beer; his fridge was always stocked with Milwaukee's Best-Light. At home, he liked to watch Western movies and television shows like Gunsmoke and Bonanza. You could always find him listening to country music, especially some old favorites like George Jones, Charlie Pride, and Willie Nelson. In the spirit of the music he loved, Denny often wore a sharp pair of cowboy boots. He owned a pole barn where he loved to spend his time working-he could be out there for hours! Denny was a member of the Elks and Moose Clubs, as well as the American Legion.

As a father, Denny was full of love and devotion. He was very giving with all of his four children. He always wanted to do something fun with his kids, like catch a movie or go to the races-really, he was up for anything that his kids wanted to do. Whenever one of his kids had a sporting event, you could often find Denny in the bleachers cheering proudly. He loved to take his kids out to breakfast and would sometimes wake them as early as 5:30 to catch a good morning meal.

Denny's greatest days were the births of his children and grandchildren. A few months ago, while at his house for dinner, Denny was talking with his son Mark, when Mark asked him what he thought of his grandson Parker, Denny answered without a blink: "He's like gold." In fact when his daughter Amanda was ready to give birth to Emmaline - It was Denny that arrived at the hospital first - only to wait 27 hours for the arrival of his precious granddaughter.

Just a few weeks ago Denny accepted Jesus into his heart. It was the most clearly he had spoken during Peggy and Leslie's visit, later asking them to tell him more about Jesus.

Dennis died on September 15th of Progressive Supra Nuclear Palsy at Rose Arbor Hospice. Learn more about Dennis, view his Life Story film, and visit with family and friends Saturday from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Betzler & Thompson Life Story Funeral Home, M40 South of I-94, Paw Paw, 657-3870, where a Celebration of Life Service will be held Sunday at 1:00 PM. Interment Oak Grove Cemetery. Dennis was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by four children: Mark Holder, James (Leslie) Holder, and Dennis (Peggy) Holder all of Lawton, and Amanda Holder of Jackson; 2 1⁄2 grandchildren; a sister, Bonnie (Dayton) Davis of Kalamazoo; two brothers: Allen (Patricia) Holder of Lawton and Doug (Sherrie) Holder of Three Rivers; and several nieces and nephews. Please visit Denny's personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you may archive a favorite memory or make a memorial contribution to Rose Arbor hospital.