Olin R. Holt passed away peacefully in his sleep on the afternoon of Dec. 3, 2024. Olin was born on Aug. 2, 1929, in Lawrence County, Ind. He was preceded in death by his parents, James A. Holt and Leona (Barr) Moreland; as well as his stepfather, Ott Moreland, and his wife of 51 years, Ruby Katheen (Lawson) Holt; his brothers Harold Holt and Richard Moreland; and his sister-in-law, Mary Gilman, and brother-in-law, Ernest Gilman.
Olin attended high school in Spencer, Ind., and was a member of the National Guard. He left high school at the age of 16 to join the Army Air Corps (now the U.S. Air Force). He did this to serve his country in World War II, as well as to earn the G.I. Bill and to follow in his father’s footsteps (his father was a veteran of both World War I and World War II). Olin was one of the last surviving veterans of World War II. He served as a sergeant and was a cryptographer. He served in Japan, Hawaii, the Philippines and San Antonio. During his time in the military, he earned his GED. He graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in Geology and a master’s degree in Geology. He also attended the University of Minnesota for additional graduate study.
Olin was a geologist for the Indiana Geological Survey, a logging engineer/petroleum engineer and log analyst for the Birdwell Division of the Seismograph Services Corp. He was a geologist and well log analyst with Sinclair. During his tenure at PGAC, he was named Regional Log Analyst for the California Region in 1967. He worked as a Senior Log Analyst for Dresser Atlas until he retired in 1988. After his retirement, he served as the commander and also as the quartermaster for VFW Post 6899 in Trinity. He also volunteered with Crime Stoppers in Trinity County for several years. At various times in his life, he served as a volunteer peace officer.
Olin married Ruby Kathleen (Lawson) Holt on Sept. 3, 1949, in Spencer. They had three daughters: Mary Ballew, Linda Koffel, and Rita Holt. He was a very intelligent and humble man. He was a member of MENSA, but declined to tell people. He loved to joke with his family and had a very dry sense of humor. He had a very strong sense of duty. He was sentimental, though, and especially enjoyed being with his family. He was a very quiet person and did not like to talk about himself. He enjoyed learning and often completed great courses in geology, astronomy, physics, calculus and languages at the age of 90-plus. He was an amateur photographer and a competitive archer. In his later years, he especially loved dancing the two-step at VFW dances.
Olin is survived by his daughters, Mary Ballew, Linda Koffel, and Rita Holt; his grandchildren, Olin Ballew, Branden Bledsoe, Rachel Albritton and Marcus DiFlavio; his step-grandchildren, Michael Spencer and Sean Spencer; his great-grandchildren, Olin Ballew Jr., KayLin Cowan, Savannah McCowan, Benjamin Bledsoe, Brody Bledsoe, Baylor Bledsoe, Ellis Albritton, Wilson Albritton, Natalie DiFlavio, Colin Spencer, Jack Spencer, Sylvie Spencer, Margeaux Spencer and Leo Spencer; his great-great-grandson, Hudson Cowan; his nephew, Michael Gilman; his niece, Lisa Bracken; his grand-nieces, Kelley Bracken, Hilary Gilman and Cara Farnham; and his great-grand-nephew, Crue Gilman.
The funeral will be held on Sunday, Dec. 15, at Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home in Huntsville. There will be a viewing/visitation on Dec. 15, also at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Riverside Pioneer Cemetery in Riverside. A wake will follow at 14 Walker Trail near Riverside.
Memorial condolences may be made to the family at www.shmfh.com. 617
