Charles L. Holden

Charles Lamont Holden, 90, passed away at his home in Stevensville, MI on Wednesday morning, January 19, 2011, with his family at his side. He was born on March 25, 1920, in Chicago, Illinois, son of Howard Arter Holden and Grace Florence Stein. He married Loraine Helen Scheer, of St. Joseph, on September 3, 1943, at St. Felicitus Church, Chicago, Illinois, while on leave from the Navy. Their marriage lasted sixty-five years until Lee's death in 2008. He was also preceded in death by his daughter Jan (Holden) Bossung; son-in-law, Richard Adent; and sister, Shirley Hanley. A U.S. Navy veteran, Charles served during World War II training bomber flight crews for service overseas. In 2009 he was fortunate to participate in Honor Flights of Michigan, where he visited the World War II memorial with other veterans. During his working career, Charles was employed by Howard Foundry, Chicago, and Kingsbury Castings, of Laporte, IN. He later served as a consultant for Bosch Automotive Group, St. Joseph, and up until shortly before his death helped with the family business, Connection Service Company, St. Joseph. Chuck spent much of his time outside and gladly shared his experiences with others. He loved to garden, growing dahlias, gladiolas and roses in addition to numerous vegetables. His children and grandchildren fondly remember helping in the garden, going on hiking and camping excursions, as well as fishing trips aboard his boat, Sorry Charlie, where they learned to fish for perch and salmon. His passion for gardening and animals was surpassed only by his love of people. Visitors to his Stevensville home rarely left empty-handed, carrying away corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other fresh vegetables in summer or canned or frozen items in winter. He made the world's best homemade pickles, which were enjoyed by everyone he knew. His strong and gentle spirit were an inspiration as he withstood many trials and hardships with a faithful, grateful heart. He is survived by a brother, Fred (Ruth) Holden, of Stevensville; daughters, Susan Adent, of Baroda and Deborah (William Corbett) Holden, of Traverse City; son, Charles L. Holden, Jr. of Louisville, KY; niece, Julie (Robert) Cooper, of Brighton, MI; eleven grandchildren: Todd (Cindy) Adent, of Stevensville, MI; Amy (Marty) Monson, of Eagan, MN; Joseph (Kristine) Adent, of Panama City, Panama; Corey Bossung, of Indianapolis, IN; Nicole (Patrick) Broccolo, of Indianapolis, IN; Kyle (Carrie) Bossung, of South Bend, IN; Charles Holden-Corbett, of Burbank, CA; Leah (Walter Scott) Holden-Corbett, of Madison, WI; Stephan Holden-Corbett, of New York, NY; Nora Holden-Corbett, of Traverse City, MI; and Joanna Greiner, of Denver, CO; and eleven great-grandchildren: Alexandra, Olivia, and Julia Adent; Stefany and Luke Monson; Isabelle, Abigail, and Rebecca Adent; Benjamin and Maxwell Broccolo and Sylvie Holden-Scott. He was loved by many and was truly one of the greatest of The Greatest Generation. A Celebration of Life Service will be held 11:00 A.M. Saturday, January 22, 2011 at Our Lady Queen of Peace, 3903 Lake St., Bridgman, with Father Arthur Howard officiating. Friends may visit from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. Friday, January 21, 2011 with a time of prayers and sharing at 6:45 P.M at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. Memorials may be made to Lakeland Hospice, Lake Michigan Catholic Schools, Honor Flight Network or National Military Family Association. Those wishing to sign the memory book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Or watch a video tribute at http://www.holden-corbett.com/grandfather.mov