John Harry Edward Holman

John was born in the town of Folkstone, England on January 26, 1936, to Harry Holman and Gladys (Mann) Holman. He was the eldest of his siblings with three younger sisters (Yvonne, Gene, and Anne) and one younger brother (Alan).

The early years of his childhood were rough as he grew up during the German bombardment of World War II, surviving a shrapnel wound from a bomb that exploded near him when he was playing on a swing. He and his siblings were sent off to boarding school in Wales for the remainder of the war.

At the age of 14, seeking adventure, John ran away to join the merchant marines as a gally boy. His escapade at sea would soon evolve into a career as a chef on a ship for the English Royal Navy and eventually the Royal Airforce. Through his involvement with the armed forces, John would travel the world, being stationed in exotic locals like the jungles of Borneo, the west coast of Africa, and the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. John held a lifelong love for Cyprus, saying it was a place where you could go skiing in the morning and swimming in the afternoon.

Sometime during his career in the military, John returned to school to get a culinary degree at Oxford Tech. His love for cooking would eventually cause him to leave his motherland of England and pursue a life in the United States after being scouted to become the Executive Chef at Boulder's Green Briar Inn.

John would lead a successful career as an executive chef, working at many famed restaurants such as Boulder's Harvest House, Estes Park's Nicky's Resort, and Denver's Executive Tower Inn. His crowning culinary achievement was cooking the prized steer from Denver's National Western Stock Show for Nicky's.

Never one to live an idle life, John continued to work after he retired from cooking in 1996. He spent the next several years working as an airport shuttle driver and eventually a limo driver. John loved his job as a professional driver as he was an extroverted person and loved meeting and talking to people. John would eventually retire from driving in 2017 before working part time as a samples server at Costco until he was finally forced to retire for good during the Covid lock downs of 2020.

John was married thrice and had three children (Carlos, Ingrid, and Vincent) with his second wife Marium (deceased) and two children (Pike and Gisselle (deceased)) with his third wife and widow Kaye. John met Kaye at Proof of the Pudding in 1986 and wooed her with his impressive dancing skills. Kaye said she was attracted to him initially because he was such a good dancer, an accomplished chef, and had a charming English accent. The two married at home in 1988 and remained married until John's passing.

John passed at Bellview Heights Assisted Living in Aurora on June 1, 2023 after a long battle with Alzheimer's and dementia. John follows to Heaven his father Harry, mother Gladys, his second wife Marium, and his youngest child Gisselle. He is survived by his widow Kaye, his four children Carlos, Ingrid, Vincent, and Pike, three granddaughters, and one great granddaughter.

John was a kindhearted, loving, outgoing, optimistic, and loyal husband, father, and friend for most of his life. He loved being around people, goofing off and being the center of attention. He was renowned at Bethel Lutheran Church for playing the spoons during choir and making his famous mushroom and Reuben soups for church potlucks. He will be missed dearly by his friends and family for the smiles he put on their faces.

A memorial service for John will be held on Sunday June 11 at 5:30 PM at Bethel Lutheran Church at Airport Blvd. Aurora, CO. Friends and acquaintances of John are all welcomed to attend.