Donald N. Holt

Donald N. Holt

March 30, 1932 – Oct. 20, 2020

Donald N. “Don” Holt of Lovell passed away on Oct. 20, 2020, at North Big Horn  Hospital. He was the widower of Ferne W. Holt, his wife of 46 years.

Don was born in St. Louis, Mo., on March 30, 1932, to Norris B. and Juanita Holt. Often with his grandparents, he had fond stories of developing his passion for hunting and fishing from his grandfather.

His family moved from Missouri to Sausalito, Calif., when he was 11. He loved the Northern California region, where he was raised and returned often throughout his life.

After graduating from Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, Calif., Don joined the Air Force and served as an aviation mechanic. While in the Air Force he became interested in flying, and after his discharge he became a seaplane instructor in Sausalito. Don was soon hired to fly a scheduled route from Sausalito to Tahoe. Flying the Pegasio Gull amphibian seaplane for Commodore Airlines remained one of the highlights, and in his words, the most fun of his aviation career.

Airline jobs eventually took him to Tokyo, working for Japan Airlines, then in 1964 to United Airlines. It was at United that he moved from piston engines to jet engines, retiring as a 747 captain in 1992.

Although Don was raised and worked in urban areas, his love of the outdoors brought him to Lovell, where he bought property on Crystal Creek Road in 1971, retiring to the town of Lovell in 1995.

His beloved wife, Ferne, preceded him in death in 2016. He is survived by his sons, Eric (Ashli) Holt, Scott (Cindy) Allred and Tom (Cindy) Allred; daughters Vikki (Dave) Wiewel and Robyn Duda; 14 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date.