Ronald Gene Holder

Ronald Gene Holder

Ronald Gene Holder, age 60, a resident of rural Redfield, went to meet his Lord and Savior on Sunday, April 10, 2011. He was born Jan. 15, 1951, in Grand Island, Neb. As a youth growing up in Kearney, Neb., Ron was mentored through the Boy Scouts of America and achieved his Eagle Scout badge the same day he graduated from Kearney Senior High School. He completed his technical diploma in diesel and automotive mechanics in Denver, Colo. Ron married Belinda Joy Bradbury, the love of his life, on June 4, 1977. Together, they delighted in raising their family while serving the Lord diligently. Ron worked proudly for many years with his father, Gene, as a floor coverings installer in the Kearney area before moving to Gering, Neb., where he worked for Case IH as a diesel mechanic. After moving to Redfield, Kan., in 1995, he was self-employed and again treasured being able to work with his father for several more years. In recent years, he worked in conjunction with Bradbury Construction. Throughout his adult life, Ron served others diligently, giving many years to the Boy Scouts as a Troop Leader, and working in multiple capacities in Southern Baptist Churches, the AWANA program and Gideons International. He recently had been attending the Cornerstone Bible Church.

Ron is survived by his wife, Belinda and two daughters, Jessica Haile and husband, Ralph II, Springfield, Mo., and Jennifer Gannon and husband Charles, Gering, Neb. His daughter Jannell, who died in childhood, preceded him in death. Also surviving are his parents, Gene and Mary Holder, Fort Scott, Kan.; three sisters, Dixie Adams and husband, Richard, Laurel, Md., Barbara Poppe, and husband Arthur, Kearney, Neb., and Irene Bradbury and husband, Gerald Jr., Redfield, Kan.; five grandchildren, Ralph III and Elizabeth Haile and Kaylee, Kiara and Kinnzie Gannon. Also surviving and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Gerald and Betty M. Bradbury, Redfield, Kan.; brother-in-law James Bradbury and wife, Rachel, and sister-in-law, Clarinda West and husband, Larry, all of Uniontown, Kan., as well as many uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, April 18, at the Cheney Witt Memorial Chapel. Following funeral services, there will be cremation. Memorials are suggested to the Gideons International and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Memorial Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Fort Scott, Kan., 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at www.cheneywitt.com.