Lyle Lavern Holdeman

Funeral services for Lyle Lavern Holdeman will be held at Brooksville Mennonite Church in Brooksville, MS Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.  Visitation will be held at the church from 1-2:45 p.m. Memorials may be made to Oakwood Manor, 55 Oakwood Drive, Brooksville MS  39739. Cockrell Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with arrangements.

Lyle Lavern Holdeman was born March 13, 1939 in McPherson County, Kansas to Oliver and Lorena Koehn Holdeman. He peacefully passed away on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 18, 2023 at Oakwood Retirement Home in Brooksville, MS, reaching the age of 84 years. He was baptized into the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite on November 2,1950 at the Meridian Congregation, Hesston, Kansas. The Church was very precious to him and attendance was important. Dad grew to teenage years in rural central Kansas. The Oliver Holdeman family moved to Louisville, Georgia when he was 17 years old. Dad often spoke of his experience of driving the truck from Kansas to Georgia in 1956, just himself and his sister Ruby, because they had gotten separated from the rest of the family due to a flat tire. Dad was married to our Mom, Marcille Peters, in 1958 in Georgia. Dairy farming was not his forte, and so began a quest for another way of life. He followed his Uncle Ivan Koehn to Texas to move dirt for a year, then, together with Uncle Ivan’s, they moved to Clarksdale, MS. This was the beginning of the first congregation in the state of Mississippi. Dad was involved in the land-leveling business for several years, and gave many young men a start in life. Dad started farming in 1974 as a way to have a more family-centered way of life. He enjoyed mechanic work and overhauled many John Deere tractors. He also recommended modifications to the Reynolds company that were later incorporated into their design. He had quite a talent for mechanical ingenuity, always preferring to fix something rather than buy new. Dad suffered a traumatic injury in 1995 that left him somewhat handicapped for the rest of his life. Their life revolved around being available for the children and grandchildren. They moved to Mifflinburg, PA for several years while the grandchildren were growing up. They then made their home in Guntersville, Alabama for several years and truly enjoyed being a part of that congregation. They were privileged to be able to move into Oakwood Retirement Home in April of 2023. Dad thoroughly enjoyed his short time there. During his recent hospitalization he was adamant about “getting back to Oakwood”! The staff enthusiastically welcomed him back and he rewarded them with a huge smile and tears of joy. It seemed he knew his time was short and he had discovered the serenity in surrender. His passing was very peaceful. Although we are saddened at the loss, we are so very grateful he did not suffer.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marcille; four daughters: Joyce, Kathy and Tom Swarey, of Brooksville, MS. Melva, Guntersville, AL. Marilys, Brooksville, MS. Grandchildren: Shawna and Joseph Peaster, Brooksville, MS. Waylon and Lisa Swarey, Mifflinburg, PA. Kendra and Daniel Buhler, Carrot River, Saskatchewan. Jaydon and Jill Swarey, Brooksville, MS and 10 great-grandchildren whom he loved dearly. He was preceded in death by his parents, parents in law, his step-mother-in-law, three brothers, one sister, two sisters-in-law, and four brothers-in-law.