Haskell 'Hack' V. Holeman, 90
On the morning of May 3, Hack Holeman passed away at 90 years of age, to the disbelief of many of his family and friends who knew him, proving he wasn’t immortal!
At the young age of 16, he tried numerous times to enlist in the Navy to join the fight of World War II. When turned down because of his age, he would hire drunks to act as his parents, paying them with whiskey. However, after many failed attempts, at 17, his mother finally signed the papers allowing him to join for his birthday. He became a Navy diesel mechanic on a destroyer. The ship he was on sunk, and being a mechanic for the engines, he was in the bottom of the ship but managed to escape; thus beginning his image of being immortal.
Hack left the Navy a few years after the war, continuing his career as a diesel mechanic. He worked through the oil fields in Texas, Oklahoma and many other places, eventually ending up in Seal Bay, California. There he met Larry Dobbs who he followed to Fort Morgan, Colorado. They created the Dobbs & Holeman Distributorship. Due to their success, Hack swore it was important to get his pilot’s license, thus creating his passion for flying. He always said, “Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing!” They worked together until General Motors came and offered him the opportunity to start his own shop in Billings.
He left for Montana with the “Gang of Five,” which included his brother, Paul Lawson. Together the group established and opened Holeman G.M.Diesel in Billings in 1958. Hack recalled these beginning years as some of the most memorable of his life. This is when he created most of his friendships and bonds that lasted the rest of his life. Through this time, he expanded his business to multiple locations in four states and hundreds of employees. Many of these people helped create the success he enjoyed. During this time, he also opened the first Coors Distributorship in Montana, along with Big Sky Airlines.
After retirement, he enjoyed traveling the world with his wife and friends, along with golfing and living in Bigfork and Sedona, Arizona.
He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Constance, his three sons, Andy, Tracy and Rob, and his loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He lives on through the three things he always professed-the Navy made him a man, GM made him a businessman, and every night is a Saturday night!
Memorial services will be held at a later date in Sedona and Bigfork. In Billings, the family is having a celebration of life from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 11, at Dos Machos. Please join us in the celebration.
Memorials may be made to your local V.F.W. Post.