John Michael Holbrook 1946 - 2022 Montana

John Michael Holbrook
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BIRTH
10 May 1946
Glendive, Dawson County, Montana, USA
DEATH
13 May 2022 (aged 76)
Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, USA
BURIAL
Resurrection Cemetery
Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, USA
MEMORIAL ID
239825606 · View Source
MEMORIAL
PHOTOS 1
FLOWERS 0
HOLBROOK, John M., age 76 of Helena passed away May 13th. The family will receive friends at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 23rd at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Ave. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24th at the Cathedral of St. Helena, 530 N. Ewing Street. Burial will follow the Mass at Resurrection Cemetery. A reception will follow the burial in the Brondel Center.

Published by Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, Helena, MT on Tuesday, May 18, 2022

FOLLOW-UP

John Michael Holbrook, age 76, of Helena Montana, went home to be with his late wife on May 13, 2022. He passed away in his home in Helena, Montana, with his family just after celebrating his 76th birthday. John was born in Glendive, Montana to Vance and Mary Margaret Holbrook on May 10, 1946. He grew up with four siblings: Dan, Bob, Kathy, and Mary Louise. As a child, he loved spending his time outside with his brothers, catching frogs and marking turtles they found in ponds (because other people needed to know it belonged to someone else). In between shooting marbles at cop cars and swinging like Tarzan into hay bales, John displayed a zest for life that was unmatched. As he got older, he attended Holy Rosary Elementary School from 1st grade until 6th grade. From there, he attended Lewis and Clark Junior High School, ending his scholastic career at Billings West High School.

In his thirties, he met the love of his life, Mary Kay Ebert. They had a love for the ages, after just one date at the Scotch and Soda bar in Great Falls, Montana. John wasn't just in love with Mary Kay… he was fiercely devoted to her. Within the following decade, they got married and started a family, complete with two children. As a family they loved vacations on the coast, and playing cribbage for hours. During his life, he described himself as a "jack of all trades". From bartending to truck driving, John was able to pick up any job with ease. His resume listed such careers as butcher, bellhop… and busboy. He was an unintentional fan of alliteration. But then he found his eventual passion for helping people through selling insurance. He said his father was his biggest inspiration and support in his pursuit of this goal. He was the one who encouraged him to take the insurance exam (which he failed, the first time) which ultimately began his dedication to the insurance industry. His father, Vance, appointed John to his company at the time, Colonial Life and Accident, and the rest, as they say, is history.

After a decade in insurance, he decided that he needed to do more in the pursuit of helping his fellow man, which landed him in the Office of the Insurance Commissioner for the State of Montana. He was a Compliance Specialist, with a focus in property and casualty insurance, for the residents of Montana for 21 and a half years. In that time, he was responsible for the recovery of over $19 million in consumer funds for the people of Montana. John had said that as long as he had impacted someone's life in this world for the better, he could leave this world a happy man.

Many may also recognize (or not recognize) John as the resident Santa Claus in town, most often spotted at the Festival of Trees, a fundraiser for a local charity organization. He was also the President of the Helena Exchange Club, where he donated his earnings from his appearances as St. Nick to the Coats for Kids Program. He cared for his family, friends, and community with fervor, and can rest easy knowing he made a positive impact on countless lives throughout the decades.

John is preceded in death by his wife, Mary Kay, his mother Mary Margaret, father Vance, sister Mary Louise, sister Mary Katherine, and infant son Michael. He is survived by his children, Mary Elizabeth (Tyler) and Annie Margaret (Andrew), brothers Dan (Bonnie) and Bob, sister Kathy, and numerous colleagues, friends, nieces and nephews.

The funeral service will be held at The Cathedral of St. Helena on Tuesday, May 24th, 2022 at 12:00 noon. There will be family receiving friends the evening before on Monday, May 23rd beginning at 6 pm at the Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Hone. Please send memorial donations to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

Published by Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, Helena, MT on Thursday, May 19, 2022

Family Members
Parents

Vance Harold Holbrook
1918–2014

Mary Margaret Klima Holbrook
1918–2002

Spouse

Mary Kay Ebert Holbrook
1952–2008