Doyle Denver Holcomb

SCOTTSDALE – Doyle Denver Holcomb, the son of John and Lulubelle Holcomb, was born in Pollard, Arkansas, on January 28, 1921, and passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 20, 2018, at Dream Catcher Assisted Living Home in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he resided for the last 5 1/2 years. He was preceded in death by his wife, Gloria Joyce Erickson Holcomb, and is succeeded by their four sons, Daniel, James, Kevin and Bradley, and three grandchildren, Kara, Parker and Emma. The Holcomb family moved to Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression and Doyle remained there until he joined the Navy in 1943. While receiving radio and electronics training in Madison, Wisconsin, prior to deployment as a radio operator on a Navy destroyer, he met his future wife, Gloria, who was also attending training in Madison. They married after the War and settled in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. While raising four sons, Doyle worked as a radio/ tv repairman and policeman in Grand Rapids, and later as an electronics lab supervisor at Motorola in Phoenix, Arizona, until his retirement in the early 1970’s. While having been formally educated only through the 9th Grade, Doyle had a successful career mainly in electronics, and also holds three patents for products that he invented and sold commercially. In retirement, he actively volunteered at the local Senior Center, inventing games and beating everyone in sight at darts and beanbag baseball! Doyle had a quick wit and is widely known for his story telling and for writing and reciting his poetry. His ability to recall and recite poetry, entertaining the residents and staff at his home, was remarkable until near the very end of his long 97 year life. May God rest his soul.