[List] Obituary: Joseph William Holley

[Cecil Stokes]

    Joseph William Holley Obituary

Joseph (“Joe”) Holley blessed this earth for 88 years with his calm, 
humble spirit. His life began in Wetumpka, AL on May 19, 1935, and ended 
in his home, surrounded by family, in Huntsville, AL on March 5, 2024, 
after a lengthy battle with cancer.

He is survived by his wife, Willodean Ruff Holley; daughters, Ellen 
Holley Burnette (Richard), Jane Elizabeth Holley, and Martha Ann Holley; 
grandchildren, Kaitlin Olivia Cordova, Jesse David Burnette (Lauren), 
Elizabeth Cordova McGee (Seth), Benjamin Crawford Burnette, and William 
McDonald Burnette; and great-grandchildren, Joseph and Samuel McGee, and 
David and James Burnette. He is preceded in death by his parents, James 
Monroe Holley and Mildred Dowling Holley, and brothers, James Holley, 
Warren Holley, and John Holley.

If Joe were given a name of notoriety, it would be the “Coosa Kid.” He 
was a fisherman from childhood into old age, most often fly fishing from 
a humble johnboat as he rode the currents of the Coosa River.

Joe graduated from Auburn University with his B.S. in Chemical 
Engineering. In 1958 he married Willodean and they moved to his first 
job in Charleston, West Virginia for a short time before settling in 
Huntsville, AL in 1959. Joe worked as an engineer at Thiokol Chemical 
Company (now Northrop Grumman) until his retirement in 1996.

He was married to Willodean for 65 years. He was a devoted husband and 
father, and dedicated his life to providing for them with extraordinary 
love and care. Detailed spreadsheets were often involved.

He was a man of deep faith, and everyone who met him felt the fruit of 
that devotion. He faithfully and joyfully served in the church choir 
throughout his adult years. Teaching was a special gift and passion, 
which he used to teach Sunday School for many years.

In the sunset of his life, he identified a particular hymn as a deep 
means of grace: “Jesus Paid it All.” Despite his hearing loss, when he 
heard the choir at First Baptist Church of Huntsville sing this 
beautiful song, he felt he could be lifted into the arms of Jesus with 
peace in his heart.

And when before the throne,
I stand in Him complete,
‘Jesus died, my soul to save’
my lips shall still repeat.
Jesus paid it all;
all to Him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain;
He washed it white as snow.

Joe’s family takes comfort in knowing that he is now made whole in the 
presence of Jesus and can joyfully sing his praises for eternity.

On Saturday, April 6, Joe’s family and friends will celebrate his life. 
Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by a service at 11:00 
a.m., both held at First Baptist Church in the Chapel, 600 Governors 
Drive in Huntsville with Rev. Jud Reasons officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Clearview Cancer 
Institute through the Russell Hill Cancer Foundation 
(https://www.clearviewcancer.com/donate/) or to Cultivate Abundance, a 
non-profit organization addressing food insecurity in farmworker 
communities (https://www.cultivateabundance.org/donate).

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Joseph, please visit our 
Tree Store 
<https://tree.tributestore.com/?oId=30960332&tag=&source=tco_description&_cdx=GA1.2.430294874.1638028215:GS1.1.1708953988.114.1.1708954046.2.0.0&mtph=1>. 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.hdaa.info/pipermail/list/attachments/20240308/003e84a0/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Holley_Joe_2024.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 50915 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.hdaa.info/pipermail/list/attachments/20240308/003e84a0/attachment-0001.jpg>