Joan Holdman

Joan Faye Holdman passed away on July 24, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She was 87 years old. Born on December 19, 1938, in St. Louis, Missouri, daughter of Gregory Thurman and Lillian Jones. Joan lived a life defined by warmth, generosity, and an unwavering devotion to those around her and her Christian faith.

Working as a waitress at a restaurant in St. Louis, Joan met the love of her life, John Guy Holdman, Jr., who went by the name Jack. The two fell in love and were married on January 27, 1956, beginning a partnership that would shape the course of both their lives. Together, Joan and Jack welcomed three children, John, Jill, and Julie. Joan and Jack were married for 61 years. Joan dedicated herself to her family as a homemaker and for many years helped run the family business, Holdman Oil Company, volunteered at local nursing homes and years later was employed by the Polk County Sheriff's Office as a school crossing guard for Inwood Elementary in Winter Haven.

Joan and Jack retired to Lake Wales, Florida, in 1988. It was during these years that Joan profoundly deepened her spirituality through the love of Jesus Christ, devoting herself wholeheartedly to St. Joseph’s and community. She entered the Secular Franciscan Order, which expanded her devotion and enriched her calling to bringing the Gospel to life in her own life and others. Joan also loved to sing in the church choir, lifting her voice in praise alongside her fellow parishioners.

No one was ever a stranger to Joan. To her, a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met. Anyone who crossed her path was greeted with her big, beautiful smile, and bright and cheerful eyes. Joan’s love for nurturing things was evident in her beautiful garden, which she lovingly tended for decades.

Joan was preceded in death by her beloved husband, John Guy Holdman, Jr., She is survived by her son, John Guy Holdman, III; her daughters, Jill Marie Dotter and Julie Ann Trammell; her five grandchildren and three great grandchildren and all those whose lives she touched with her radiant spirit.

Visitation will be held at St. Jospeh Catholic Church in Winter Haven, FL on Wednesday July 29, 2026, at 10:00 am with a funeral mass beginning at 10:30.