Kenneth Stanley Holm

Kenneth Stanley Holm, 81, of Ephrata passed away on Monday, April 27, 2009, at McKay Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Soap Lake.

He was born Nov. 2, 1927, in Roseau, Minn., to Rudolph McKinley Holm and Elsie Hlucny Holm.

He graduated from Roseau High School in 1945. A Navy veteran, he served from November 1945 to November 1948 as an aviation electrician aboard the Essex class Antigua.

Kenny met and married Joyce Rice, his soul mate, on June 11, 1954, in Seattle.

He attended the University of Washington through 1955 and graduated from Illinois College of Optometry in 1958.

He practiced optometry in Ephrata maintaining a second office in Grand Coulee from 1958 until retirement in 1996.

He was a longtime member of the Ephrata Lions Club given many awards for his service. He received an award from the membership of the Washington Optometric Association. He chaired the Home Health Committee for several years.

Kenny was a skilled private pilot co-owning a frequently operated Beechcraft Musketeer with his best friend, Eb Downing. A mining enthusiast, Ken maintained gold claims in Washington and Idaho. He was a partner in 48 hard rock and 4 placer claims with Elbert and Warren Downing. Annually proving the mining claims provided multiple pleasurable camping excursions and outdoor explorations for the team of friends. An outdoorsman, Kenny hunted big game in both Alaska and the lower 48 states.

Kenny and Joycie enjoyed many weekends hunting edible mushrooms at a cabin on the Wenatchee River. He could identify most genus and species of mushroom in the forests of the Cascade Mountains. He was an avid trout, bass and salmon fisherman.

Kenny was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and an expert marksman. He had become a staunch conservative.

He was a collector of rare coins and black powder flasks. A patient “tinkerer,” Ken was able to repair any old small machine in need of a special touch.

Kenny was a beloved husband for 42 years, remembering his wife daily.   

He was preceded in death by his wife, Joycie, his parents and his only brother, Rudolph Ferdinand (Casey) Holm.

He is survived by his uncle, Charlie Hlucny, and multiple cousins, including Sonja (Mike) Frensdorf, their daughter Matea, a horseman and aspiring pilot of Moses Lake, and the Elbert Downing family.

The Frensdorfs and Downings will schedule a memorial later in the summer.

His faithful friendship will be missed.