William Holman Obituary

Born in Hartford, AL, on November 23, 1915, Mr. Holman moved to Albany with his parents, W.C. and Robbie Holman, when he was 3 years old. He attended Albany public schools and studied Business Administration at Duke University. He worked in the family business at Holman Mule Co. in Albany until joining the U.S. Army in 1941. Restricted from flying initially because of age restrictions, Mr. Holman served in the Panama Canal Zone until the age limit for pilots was raised. He joined the Army Air Corps and trained in Waco and Fort Worth, Texas, before flying to England to take part in the Allied efforts during World War II. As a pilot with the 463rd Air Group, Mr. Holman captained a crew that flew 30 missions. His first mission was a bombing run over Lisieux, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Mr. Holman and his crew were shot down over Darmstadt, Germany, while returning from a bombing run on Sept. 19, 1944, during the infamous Battle of the Bulge. He was the last one to bail out of his plane, and all seven members of his crew were captured and held in a Prisoner of War camp. Mr. Holman, however, escaped and was flying missions again less than a month later. He completed his 30th mission on Jan. 10, 1945.Among the medals that Mr. Holman was awarded for his service was a Distinguished Flying Cross.After the war, Mr. Holman returned to Albany and to his wife, Carolyn, and he engaged in a number of businesses. He helped establish a family tractor business and construction company, and he did restoration work on the White House, the State Department building, and the famed Metropolitan with renowned architect, Edward Vason Jones, who was one of Mr. Holman's closest friends.An avid photographer and nature lover, Mr. Holman helped establish the local Audubon Society chapter and spent much of his free time photographing and documenting bird species in Georgia.Mr. Holman served on the Albany City Commission and was a member of First United Methodist Church.Mr. Holman is survived by Carolyn Holman, his wife of 66 years, and their children: Hope Campbell and her husband, Bruce Campbell, William "Bill" Holman, III, and Edward Vason Holman and his wife, Lynn Holman, of Chester, VA. Mr. Holman's brother, Dr. Charles Holman, also survives.Other family members who survive Mr. Holman are his grandchildren: Ella Campbell, Misty Dawn Holman, Carrie Holman Malone, Megan Elizabeth Holman and Anna Grace Holman. Mr. Holman is also survived by a great granddaughter, Bailey Lanier Malone. Mrs. Carolyn Holman, offers thanks to the physicians who cared for her husband: Dr. Joe Stubbs and Dr. Glenn Williams; and for caregivers, James Harris, Lance Vick, and the entire Hospice staff.

William Holman Obituary

November 23, 1915 - November 12, 2010