Haskell 'Hack' Holeman

Haskell Hack V. Holeman, 90
On the morning of May 3rd, Hack Holeman passed away at 90 years of age, to the disbelief of many of his family and friends who knew him, proving he wasnt immortal!
At the young age of 16, he tried numerous times to enlist in the Navy to join the fight of WWII. When turned down because of his age, he would hire drunks to act as his parents, paying them with whiskey. However, after many failed attempts, at 17, his mother finally signed the papers allowing him to join for his birthday. He became a Navy diesel mechanic on a destroyer. The ship he was on sunk, and being a mechanic for the engines, he was in the bottom of the ship but managed to escape; thus beginning his image of being immortal.
Hack left the Navy a few years after the war, continuing his career as a diesel mechanic. He worked through the oil fields in Texas, Oklahoma and many other places, eventually ending up in Seal Bay, California. There he met Larry Dobbs who he followed to Fort Morgan, Colorado. They created the Dobbs & Holeman Distributorship. Due to their success, Hack swore it was important to get his pilots license, thus creating his passion for flying. He always said, Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing! They worked together until General Motors came and offered him the opportunity to start his own shop in Billings, MT.
He left for Montana with the Gang of Five, which included his brother, Paul Lawson. Together the group established and opened Holeman G.M. Diesel in Billings in 1958. Hack recalled these beginning years as some of the most memorable of his life. This is when he created most of his friendships and bonds that lasted the rest of his life. Through this time, he expanded his business to multiple locations in four states and hundreds of employees. Many of these people helped create the success he enjoyed. During this time, he also opened the first Coors Distributorship in Montana, along with Big Sky Airlines.
After retirement, he enjoyed traveling the world with his wife and friends, along with golfing and living in Bigfork, Montana and Las Vegas, Nevada. Hack became a little restless at almost 70 years of age and decided to build the Sedona Re¡l Inn & Suites. During this business venture, Hack was teaching his youngest son, Rob, how to be a businessman. Hack and his wife Constance moved to Sedona, Arizona a few years after opening the hotel. Rob and Hack ran the family business together for over 20 years in Sedona.
He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Constance, his three sons, Andy, Tracy and Rob, and his loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He lives on through the three things he always professed-the Navy made him a man, GM made him a businessman, and every night is a Saturday night!
Memorial services will be held in Sedona on May 25th at the Rock of Ages Church at 11 a.m. After the services, please join the family for a Celebration of Life at 1 p.m. in the clubhouse at Seven Canyons Country Club.
Memorials may be made to the Salvation Army, VFW or Humane Society.