Member Lee Holsey

Member Lee Holsey was the third child born to Charlie and Mamie (Wallace) Holsey in Albany, Georgia, March 15, 1940. Lee was affectionately called “Baby Lee” by his siblings. Lee worked on a farm from the time he was nine years old until he finished high school. Despite hard work from driving a tractor and other farm jobs, when he finished high school he entered the marines for a short while, then he resigned from the marines and joined the Army where he spent the next 27 years and completed two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was in the engineering division and built roads across the war zone. He became a rare commodity on board a Navy warship, the Corpus Christi, where he was one of two heat treaters who assisted in the repair and return to duty of damaged helicopters that flew in Vietnam. If that was not rare enough, in his off time, he was the “ship’s barber.” He also did two tours in Germany with family in tow, and Alaska. Lee was credited with developing a course for the heavy equipment operation, used in the building of roads in Vietnam. He often bragged about the course he developed for the “combat Dozier,” which when taken on a tour of a military base, I discovered that it was “just a bulldozer”, but for him and the Army, the use of that piece of equipment was far more important than its name. His theory was that the piece of equipment and its driver had done its job, which could be determined by “the touch, the feel and the sound” of the equipment. The importance of this instruction is notated somewhere in the Army’s library. Along the way he also served as a “Fire Chief”. Until recently he never allowed the clothes dryer to be turned on if leaving the house or used at night after bedtime because of the danger of a fire starting. Early in his life, Lee met and fell in love with Forrestine Johnson and became the father of her three-year-old daughter Lynette and two-year-old son Alvin. They added to their family three children of their own, Donna, Gwendolyn, and Ronald Anthony. The Holsey family traveled to military bases in several states in the United States, did his two tours in Germany with him, and in Alaska. Lee remained married to Forrestine for 58 years until her death in May of 2018. Upon retiring from the army, with the rank of “1st Sergeant E8 promotable”, Lee continued his love for the military by creating and teaching an ROTC program at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, California. He gave his cadets as much exposure as was possible, in parades across the country and other military events, including a trip to what would become his future home, Pahrump NV. The cadet’s admiration and love for their instructor is evident today by the presence of several of those ROTC cadets. Upon his retirement from the instructor’s position, Lee and Forrestine settled in their Pahrump residence to enjoy retired life, where they lived until her death in May of 2018. In preparation for this occasion, when children, relatives and siblings were asked about childhood memories, baby sister Catherine remembered his sense of humor and immediately recalled that whenever they passed a cemetery, and the question was asked “I wonder how many people are buried there? “Lee’s answer was always “all of them.” As he aged, he kept that same sense of humor or had a smart remark when lease expected. In late April 2019, Lee decided to start up his RV lifestyle again, with grandson Donavan in tow, at a rare outing in Pahrump, where The Original Las Vegas Rolling Wheels RV Club was having one of their monthly outings. he was introduced to their President, Dr. Anne Steele. An RV trip across country followed late in the summer where he was introduced to her family and friends and she to his. In July of 2020 amid Covid, they decided on the hottest day of the month to get married. The date was July 12, the temperature was 112. They chose the Drive Through Window at A Little White Chapel. Lee had his first visit to the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign on the Boulevard, where they posed in the take pictures. The following four and a half years have included thousands of miles covered in their RV and towing his Jeep to Regional and National Rallies of The National African American RVer’s Association, Inc. Lee visited for the first time, the San Francisco Bay area and They added to their fun several cruises to Alaska, Canada. Mexico and Hawaii. The cruise ships gave Lee a shock because he had only been on a Navy War Ship! although lee protested loudly about joining a club. I knew he had not only enjoyed becoming a part of the rolling wheels but that he had also fallen in love with Naarva when he was seen sweeping the streets at the national rally in Hemet California. In November of 2022 Lee recovered on time, as predicted by the Surgeon, from triple bypass surgery to add to his cruising miles, in January of 2023 to enjoy a new type of music, provided by the “Smooth Jazz Cruise”. On board ship he met relatives of Anne’s from Denver CO, Frank, and Janice turner. A Mediterranean Cruise had to be cancelled for April 26. 2024 after his hospitalization which occurred on Nov 4th. Lee leaves to morn his passing his beloved and devoted wife of four and a half years, Anne Steele-Holsey, daughters: Lynette (Everett) Sanders of Carrollton, TX, Donna (Tony) of Pahrump, NV, Gwendolyn (James) Gonzalez of South Riding. VA, son Ronald Holsey of Pahrump NV and stepson Michael Duckworth of Fayetteville GA; sister evangelist, Dr. Carrie de Journette of Jacksonville FL, sister catherine h. stokes of Valdosta, GA six grandchildren; five great grandchildren; two nephews, Daryl Holsey of Ga and Kenneth English of Colorado, Crystal English and connie English of ga; a host of other relatives and numerous friends. He was preceded by his three brothers: Charlie Jr, Johnson, Jerry, and sister Martha Bell. And in 2012, by his son Alvin Holsey.

Member Lee Holsey

March 16, 1940 - May 17, 2025