HOLDEMAN, Al, Jr. - b. March 13, 1935 - d. November 30, 2020

[patyrn]

Al Holdeman, Jr., 85, of Winfield, Kansas, passed away November 30, 2020 at William Newton Hospital in Winfield due to COVID-19 complications.  He was born March 13, 1935 in Iola, Kansas to Al Holdeman, Sr. and Mildred (Brown) Holdeman.

Al started school in the 2nd grade in Centerville, Kansas and continued there through the 6th grade when his family moved to Burrton, Kansas.  He graduated from Burrton High School in 1953.  He then attended Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia,  to play football for the Hornets.  In 1955, he transferred to Southwestern College in Winfield and played football for the Moundbuilders.  He was drafted into the United States Army and served from 1957-1959 after he was honorable discharged with the rank of Sergeant.  Al returned to Southwestern College and continued to play football and graduated in 1961.

Al met Helen Ann Osborn while attending Southwestern.  The couple married on July 30, 1961.  They celebrated 59 years of marriage in July 2020.  He told her often how happy he was that he married her.  In the 60s and 70s, Al was the head coach for a variety of sports in the high schools in Howard, Kinsley, and Winfield, Kansas.  In 1966, he became the head coach of the Winfield Vikings and had a very successful season.  He was named the Coach of the Year in the Ark Valley League.  In 1973, he also began coaching at Southwestern College as the Defensive Coordinator for the next 15 years.  In 1974, he received his Master's in Education from Wichita State University.  He retired in 2001, but he continued to coach golf, high school basketball, and teach Drivers Ed.  He entered into the Southwestern Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

Al was a steady and positive influence to thousands of students and players he coached.  He is remembered for incorporating Zig Ziglar's Daily Lift into his classroom.  He shared his love of golf with his daughters and their husbands.  Hobbies included golf with his buddies, hunting, fishing, and he loved attending numerous grandchildren's activities.

Survivors include his wife, Helen Holdeman; daughters, Tracy (Leonard) Nick and Sarah (Kevin) Boline; grandchildren, Caroline, Hannah, Luke, Katie, and Madison; brother, John "Jack" (Marilyn) Holdeman and their children, Cassandra, Jacalyn, and Mia and their families.  He is also survived by special nieces, Paula Carter and Pam Horn.  He is preceded in death by his parents.

Memorial services will be held at 10:00 .m. on Friday, December 4, 2020 at the Kansas Veterans Cemetery in Winfield.  Memorial contributions for Al may be made to the Al & Helen Holdeman Athletic Scholarship Fund at Southwestern College or to the First United Methodist Church Helping Hands Fund.  Contributions may be left in care of the Shelley Family Funeral Home, 803 Loomis Street, Winfield, Kansas 67156 which has been entrusted with arrangements.

(taken from the Shelley Family Funeral Home website)