John Hillard Holbrook 1947 - 2023 Richland, Washington - Harlan, Kentucky

JOHN HILLARD HOLBROOK
02/10/1947 — 10/16/2023
From Richland, WA | Born in Harlan, KY

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John Hillard Holbrook

John Hillard Holbrook, 76, of Richland, Washington, went to his Heavenly home on October 16, 2023. Born on February 10, 1947, in Harlan, Kentucky, John was a master of wit and never met a stranger. He had a talent for remembering the name of everyone he met.

He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Cincinnati and completed his masters and PhD at Stanford in material science engineering. Since graduation, John remained an avid Stanford fan, and occasional Mariners fan – if they were winning.
In his professional life, John excelled as research scientist and project manager for Battelle for 30 years. After retirement, he teamed with colleagues to create NHThree, a research company with the goal of using ammonia as a zero emissions fuel source.

After moving to the Tri-Cities in 1994, John fell in love with the area. He loved to go tent camping on the John Day River and had a favorite camp site that he named “Camp Return”. He walked his dogs every day – rain or shine – at the various parks surrounding the rivers here. He developed a taste for the local cuisine, and he enjoyed supporting the local breweries and wineries.

John was a devoted family man. His “Donna dear” was the light of his life and he was very proud of his children, Jeremy and Jaime. He had a huge soft spot in his heart for dogs and we know he is thrilled to be with his fur babies Scruff, Sammy, Shadow and Scout over the Rainbow Bridge.

He and Donna were devout members to C3 Tri-Cities Church for 24 years. He was known for having a good ear as well as a great sounding stereo. He found a way to share his passion by volunteering as the A/V engineer at C3.

A Celebration of John’s life will take place at Events at Sunset, 915 By Pass Hwy, Richland, WA 99352 on Thursday, October 19 at 10 AM. His ashes will be spread at Camp Return at a later date.

He was preceded in passing by his mother Virginia Holbrook, his father Hillard Holbrook, his brother Ron Holbrook, and niece Melissa Degaro. Survivors include his wife Donna Holbrook, son Jeremy Holbrook (Jennifer), daughter Jaime Holbrook, half sister Sally Major (Larry). step children Ron Kaul (Norma) and and Randy Brewer (Jamie), 8 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren.