Willard “Willie” J. Holdorf, 90 of Wayne, died Friday, Aug. 13, 2021 at Providence Medical Center in Wayne.
Services will be held Friday, Aug. 20 at 10:30 a.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Wayne. P.M.A. Glenn Kietztmann will officiate and eulogist will be Clayton Erwin. Burial will be in the Laurel Cemetery in Laurel. Visitation will be Thursday, Aug. 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church Wayne.
Memorials may be made to the Holdorf family for later designation.
Arrangements are with Hasemann Funeral Home of Wayne.
Willard James Holdorf was born July 6, 1931 on a farm near Concord to Johann “Max” and Elsie (Luth) Holdorf. He attended schools in Concord and Laurel. Willie began working on the Holdorf Family Farm. Willie married Bev Evers on Sept. 3, 1950 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Laurel and worked for his father-in-law. He began driving truck for Odie Huetig and later working at the Laurel and Winside Dehy Plants, and at Four Quarters Feedlot. Willie worked for Ivan and Hollis Freese for a number of years, before working in maintenance for 17 years for Wayne County. For a number of years, he worked for Kinney Farms and then for DDM for 11 years, hauling gravel. Willie retired one day, and then went to work mowing the next day for the Wayne Country Club. He enjoyed antique and memorabilia collecting, fishing, and hunting for deer – he bagged one in 2020.
Survivors include his children, Kathy (Dean) Jensen of Battle Creek, Randy (Joni) Holdorf of Carroll, Tamara Sterling of Concord, and Brent (Jackie) Holdorf of Coleridge; 13 grandchildren; 41 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; brothers, Delmar Holdorf of Wayne and Darrell (Bette) Holdorf of Pine City, Minnesota; sisters, Yvonne Palmer of Gilbert, Arizona; and Vernita (Bruce) Hoeflich of Omaha; nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Beverly, in 2015; brothers, Marlyn and Verdell (Ruth); sister, Dolores (Jack) Erwin, and sister-in-law, Barb Holdorf.
Honorary pallbearers will be grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
Rose bearers will be Shannon Gibson, Holly Doring, Keisha Jessen, Crystal Beckenhauer and T’Kayeh Sterling.
Pallbearers will be Cory Jensen, Colby Jensen, Kyle Jensen, Kent Jensen, Jaimey Holdorf, Koinn Rees, Kassius Holdorf and Anthony Mack.
