Joseph M. Holliday's Obituary
Joseph (Joe) M. Holliday was born October 23, 1923 in Barnum, Wisconsin, and died February 21, 2005 in Tacoma, WA. Joe was not only saddened during his lifetime by the death of his wife Peggy, but also the premature death of both of their two children, Bill Holliday and Patsy Joe Smith. Joe is survived by his five grandchildren, Adam Holliday, Ashley Holliday, Robert Smith, Marilyn Wright and Alice Smith, along with several great grandchildren, and his daughter-in-law, Donna (Holliday) Albright. After his wifeÂ's death, Joe met Sandy Ernest, and they shared their lives together for the last 10 years. SandyÂ's love and attention brought a new spark for him, and her kind care during the latter part of his illness was a blessing to him.Joe was one of 18 children and in addition he had 6 half brothers and sisters. His family was extremely poor, and at a young age Joe left home to make his own way in the world. Joe did not have the advantage of high school, but acquired a good work ethic which served him well throughout his life.Joe joined the Navy in 1942 and saw considerable action with the Pacific fleet during World War II. Joe would not talk about some of his experiences which resulted in him being wounded, as well as surviving several days adrift at sea without a life boat.Joe met Peggy during the war. After his discharge they married and settled in Washington. Joe learned the Plastering trade, and was a lifetime member of the Seattle PlastererÂ's Union Local No. 77. Through hard work Joe formed a Corporation with his partner Tom Campbell, and their company, Holliday & Campbell was a well known and respected Plastering contractor in the Tacoma area from the 1950Â's for the next 30 plus years. Joe taught the plastering trade to his son, Bill Holliday, and his son-in-law, John Smith, and eventually those two formed and operated a plastering company named Holliday & Smith for a number of years, until the death of his son Bill. Joe was personally involved in the shaping and plastering of some of the accouterments at the State Capital Building in Olympia, and the company worked on numerous plaster construction projects throughout this area. Joe has left a substantial bequest to be used for the training of plasterer apprentices, as Joe was concerned that there were not enough plastering apprentices entering the trade.In the 1970Â's, Joe and Peggy purchased a large farm near Eatonville which encompassed Mud Lake, and the farm also had three separate homes. Joe had a love for horses, and built a race track on the farm to train his horses. Both of his children, Bill and Patsy Joe, and their spouses lived on the farm for many years and it was a joy for both Joe and Peggy to have their children and grandchildren near. Friends also enjoyed visiting them at the farm where they could ride horses, fish on the private lake, or just enjoy a walk through the acreage and forests where elk and deer abounded.After his wifeÂ's death Joe sold the farm and moved to Puyallup. Because of the kindness and good care Peggy received from Virginia Mason Hospital, during her siege with cancer, a substantial bequest has been left to Virginia Mason Hospital to assist in their ongoing programs. Joe also donated a portion of the family farm to a charitable organization to be used for a park and baseball field. Joe donated personal funds and personal labor to build a baseball field and park on the property which is used by the families in the Eatonville area. The park is now being cared for and overseen by the Eatonville LionÂ's Club.Joe always enjoyed personally using the contractor skills that he had acquired during his lifetime and was actively involved in physical projects until the last few years. After moving to Puyallup, one of JoeÂ's favorite pastimes was buying at garage sales, and personally restoring used bicycles and other toys, which he would donate to needy families throughout the year. He would start saving bicycles to be given as Christmas presents during the last few months of each year. Joe was recognized in the newspaper for these chartable activities although he was one that did not seek any thanks or publicity for what he did.During the last years of JoeÂ's life, he suffered a number of severe physical ailments which required him to slowly give up the activities in which he was involved. Joe was very grateful for the good care he received at St. Joseph Hospital and the physicians during this time. During his last month, Joe was grateful to be cared for at the Franciscan Hospice House. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorials to be sent to the Â"Franciscan FoundationÂ" attention Jane Pryor, P.O. Box 1502, Tacoma, WA 98401-98325, which will be used for the Hospice House program.Viewing will be from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Monday, February 28, 2005 at Mountain View Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 12:00 PM on Tuesday, March 1, 2005 in the Mt. View Valley Chapel.
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