William "Bill" Holt

Bill’s service will be livestreamed below at 10 AM, Friday, September 15, 2023

Memories of Bill’s childhood up to about ~30

Written by his sisters, Merna Endsley, Vicki Holt, and Merry Quy

We’re pretty sure Bill had a quick-witted wisecrack ready for the obstetrics team at Harrison Memorial Hospital when he presented to the world on April 14, 1946 in Bremerton, Washington.

Bill was closest in age and spirit to his sister Merry and they spent many hours as toddlers playing in the dirt with cars. He was always ready to round up the neighbor kids for a game of Cowboys and Indians and playing horseshoes or a game of 500 with Mom at bat. Later he enjoyed fishing -from bullheads in the creek, to sanddabs in Seabeck Bay, and ultimately to halibut and salmon around Puget Sound and Neah Bay.

He loved camping and riding bikes around Fort Warden with his boys.

There were other less orthodox hobbies in Bill’s childhood. He joined his sisters in practicing with nurse mom’s hypodermic needles giving shots to oranges, on the off chance any of them might ever become a doctor. And then there was the game of Restaurant the four siblings dreamed up. They took turns concocting special “meals” for each other of random ingredients and spices. The receiving siblings were obliged to taste whatever was presented to them no matter how nasty it was. Bill had a knack for the most diabolical creations, which by some miracle poisoned no one.

Merna remembers an incident when Bill was about 5-6 years old in which he was kicking everybody in the shins with his cowboy boots, probably in response to the older sisters’ teasing. So she grabbed him by the feet and lifted him off the ground to stop the kicking. In defense he socked her in the stomach, causing her to drop him on his head. Luckily everyone came through that episode unharmed, although his sisters always joked about how it might have affected his future mental capacities.

At around 7 years old, already a little daredevil, he was running with a toothbrush in his mouth and fell, jamming the toothbrush into his cheek. That incident was good for a fair amount of drama in the household and copious amounts of blood in the bathtub where he landed.

Anyone who knows Bill will agree he marched to his own drumbeat. That trait showed up early in life when he stubbornly refused to write a book report in his senior year. He stuck to his guns knowing Mr. Horsely would not allow him to graduate without it. He eventually got his GED, no book report required.

Always loyal to his big sister, Bill sold Merry her first car. He did charge what she considered an outrageous sum of $150. But she decided she got her money’s worth when that clunker kept going for over 7 years.

Bill had many teenage know it-all conversations with Dad, and with them came a certain amount of friction. But in the end Bill came to hold his dad in high esteem -as Bill would say, “after Dad came to his senses.”

As most of his friends know, Bill struggled with alcoholism in his young adulthood. We were all so proud when he achieved sobriety and maintained it for the rest of his life. With Bill’s ever-present wit and optimism, the good times continued to roll without the need for alcohol.

In spite of his wild and adventurous youth, in his 20s, Bill served honorably in the Army including a tour in Germany, married his high school sweetheart and voila, along came Tony and Andy.

Over the decades, Bill had several partners before he found the love of his life in Sharon. As much as the family missed having him nearby, we were happy to see he found his true place in the world on the farm in North Dakota.

Bill and Sharon met in Montana in 1992. They were married in Belgrade, MT in 1993. After they married, they traveled and moved around the country from Washington, to North Dakota, and to Minnesota at the lake. Then they were off to Georgia where medical problems caught up with Bill. So in 2002 they moved back to the original homestead, the Johnson farm in Lucca, ND. This is where Bill and Sharon created endless beautiful memories for decades for the rest of Bill’s life. Bill made great lifelong friends there all the same as he did growing up in Washington.

Throughout Bill’s life he was a master mechanic and could fix virtually anything. In the winters in North Dakota Bill became the “Lucca DOT.” Plus a sub mail carrier.

Coffee was always on. Bill was a great conversationalist. He loved having a captive audience to listen to his many interesting stories, jokes and everything else in between.

Bill was always smiling and laughing. Especially while you might have been at the bad end of one of his jokes or zingers. But it was always in fun. Bill was full of life and was always having fun.

Bill always said he gave all the farmers around them in North Dakota great advice. But none ever took it he said as the city kid that he started out as.

Bill was always there for and was a best friend and mentor to Natalie, Matt, Sarah, Gabe, Bella, Alyssa, Brooke and Brandi. In addition, Bill was a cherished father figure to Gabe as well. And Bill was always so proud of his sons Tony and Andy as he bragged on his boys routinely.

Bill was a large man in every sense, physically and his personality all the same. He definitely had a large presence that will be missed.

Bill cherished and loved his family and friends. Family and the community with others was everything to Bill. But above all, Bill loved Sharon unconditionally as the love of his life. Bill and Sharon would have celebrated their 30th anniversary on the 25 of September.

There is comfort in knowing that Bill is with Sarah, his parents, and his best friend Torgi. As well as close family and friends.

Bill is survived by his wife, Sharon; sisters, Merry Quy, Merna (Pete) Endsley, and Vicki (Tom) Holt; sons, Tony (Katrina) and Andy (Shelly) Holt; stepchildren, Natalie Steidl and Matt Steidl; and grandchildren, Alyssa (Brett) Tamminga, Gabe Steidl, Bella Steidl, Jessica Webster, and Rebecca Sumrall.

He is preceded in death by his father, Charles Holt; mother, Anita Holt; brother-in-law, Richard (Budda) Quy; and step-daughter, Sarah Steidl.