Robert D. Holman

Robert D. Holman, 85, a retired rancher, passed away in his family home on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, due to natural causes. Funeral Mass will be held Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, at 11 a.m. in St. Gabriel's Catholic Church, with burial following in Kuper Memorial Cemetery. Vigil services held Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013, at 7 p.m. in the church. Memorials may be sent to Chinook Senior Center. Arrangements have been made with Edwards Funeral Home of Chinook.

Robert was born in Dodson, Mont., on Jan. 12, 1928, to Charles and Edna Holman. He lived south of Wagner until the age of 10, when his family moved to Chinook. Robert married Frances Goodheart on Nov. 8, 1948 in Helena. They lived in Chinook before moving to Wagner in 1949, where they were involved in farming and raising hogs. In 1956, they moved to Harlem and owned and operated the Harlem Confectionery for four years. Robert and Frances and his four girls moved in 1960 to their ranch in the Bear Paw Mountains, where they raised black Angus cattle and sheep.  They retired and moved to Chinook in 1993. 

In his early retirement he enjoyed traveling south to Arizona with other Northern snowbirds, visiting family in Texas and Spokane. 

Even though he didn't care much about fishing, Frances got him hooked. Robert enjoyed playing cards, especially poker with the boys. Every day he looked forward to having coffee with the coffee club and visiting, then on his way home stopping at the Stockyards or Windy Ridge Meats. He took an interest in all of his family's lives and was a great mentor. He would drive Stockyard Road and look at the crops watching them grow and being harvested. Robert really found a knack in cooking, he enjoyed making bean soup and pecan pie and sharing it with the family.  

Robert is survived by daughter, Debbie (Mike) Arnold of Fort Worth, Texas, Karla (Dexter) Buck of Chinook, Kim (John) Clay of Spokane, Wash., and Lona (Herman) Spangle of Spokane, Wash.; seven grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren; and four step-great-grandchildren.