John Byron Holder, age 65, U.S. Navy Master Chief, retired and Director of Information Security at OneBlood, passed peacefully in Northwest Florida on Saturday, February 10, 2024 following a courageous battle with cancer.
Mr. Holder was born on July 16, 1958 on Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. He was raised in Florida and graduated from Gulf Breeze High School in 1976. He later became a graduate and alumnus of Pensacola State College, Faulkner State College, Southeastern Louisiana University, and St. Leo University. His studies included Science, Pre-Law, Criminology, and advanced IT security. During his collegiate career, he was also an All-American in Track and Field at Faulkner State College and Olympic candidate for the 1980 games in hammer throw.
He answered the calling of military service in 1979 during rising tensions with the USSR. Mr. Holder spent 21 years serving in the Asia, Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific basins while in the U.S. Navy. Throughout his military career he participated in joint operations with the Marines, including special operations as an engagement planning operator, and served as a multilinguistic. During his service he was named Sailor of the Year in 1987 for the Cinclant Fleet in Norfolk, Virginia. Mr. Holder retired in 2000 as a Master Chief Operations Surface Warfare Specialist. His accomplishments continued throughout his 24 years of service in blood banking as an Information Security Specialist.
John is survived by his wife, Barbara, his daughters Kathryn, Jennifer and her husband Christopher and children Paul and Peter, and Amanda and her fiance Jared. He is also survived by his brother Alan and children. He is further survived by many nieces, relatives, and friends. In addition to his parents AJ Holder and Ruby Jewell Holder, he was preceded in death by his sister, Virginia, and aunt, Laney.
Throughout his life, John was a numismatics enthusiast and amateur meteorologist. One of his strongest passions in life was spending days on the water, especially on the Gulf of Mexico with his best friend, Jim, where he enjoyed the sport of fishing and diving amongst the shipwrecks. John found purpose in devoting time as a mentor to others, both personally and professionally, and is remembered by those closest to him as kind, respectful, and caring.
He will be laid to rest at Barrancas National Cemetery in the presence of family and close friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you instead make a contribution to the American Cancer Society in his name, or, if able, make the priceless act of blood donation to OneBlood as this was a lifelong service of his.
A graveside service for John will be held Friday, February 16, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM at Barrancas National Cemetery, 1 Cemetery Rd, Pensacola, FL 32508.
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