Billy Rankin Holcomb

Billy R. Holcomb, 88, of Davenport, passed away on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at Senior Star Assisted Living in Davenport. A private family service will be held on Monday, May 22 at the Rock Island National Cemetery with full military honors. Memorials may be made to The Honor Flight of the Quad Cities. Online condolences may be expressed at www.weertsfh.com.

Billy was born on February 21, 1935 in Sumrall, Mississippi to Rev. & Mrs. John Holcomb. He was the youngest of 10 children. Living through the depression, Billy grew up knowing what hard work was and developed an intense work ethic. Even before graduating from high school, he was operating a dairy farm for his uncle. There is a photo of Billy taken when he was a young boy in a military outfit. In 1953, at the age of 18, that photo became a reality when he joined the U.S. Army. After completing basic training, he married June Gilleon on July 4. They were married for 69 years. In August of that year, the reality of Army life hit them full force, when Billy was deployed for 1-1/2 years. Besides serving during the Korean War, he also served in Vietnam. In 1960, he graduated from Officer Candidate School and retired from the Army in 1973, as a Major. Serving our country was one of Billy’s proudest accomplishments. He received many awards and decorations, but among his proudest was the Vietnamese Medal of Honor. After completing his 20-year military career, Billy began a second career at Altorfer Machinery Company, where he began as a mechanic and retired in 1998 as a Vice President of the company. After retirement, he and June returned to their roots in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and built their dream home. There Billy enjoyed restoring numerous antique cars in his free time. They were blessed with 15 wonderful years in MS before settling back in Davenport, Iowa, to be close to their girls. For the past 4 years, Senior Star at Elmore has been home to Billy and June. June continues to live in memory care there.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks to Senior Star for their loving care and support. They have truly become extended family. They also want to express their appreciation to St. Croix Hospice for being another important layer of support, along with Bickford Home Care. This amazing team of caring people has been an incredible blessing to this family.

Billy is survived by his wife, June; 4 children, Robin (David) Blomquist, Melody (Michael) Mossman, Wayne (Michelle) Holcomb and Penny (Jeff) Hill; 10 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

Billy was preceded in death by his 9 siblings.