John Holt

September 22, 1951 - July 8, 2021

John Francis Holt, 69, passed away from cancer peacefully in his home in Stevensville, Montana. He was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico to Zona and Francis Holt. His family moved to South Pasadena when he was a young boy. John worked as a merchant marine for a short time in his younger years and met Lynda Canfield in 1975. They were married in 1980 and John adopted Lynda's kids and raised them as his own.

John and Lynda had countless adventures together including John taking a horse farrier class and working as a volunteer firefighter. In 1984, John and Lynda moved to Stevensville to raise their family. They separated in 2001. John met Jennifer Polanchek in the fall of 2004 and they share a son, Jack Polanchek. At the time of John's death he was sharing his life and a home with Jackie Goren. John and Jackie started dating in 2006 and they ran the Full Moon Saloon for many years until they decided to sell in 2018 and enjoy retirement.

John thoroughly lived an adventurous life. At 18 years old he hitch-hiked across the US and into Canada and then down the east coast. After his journey, John lived in a tree house at a hippie commune in Kauai. One of his favorite hobbies was river rafting. He owned several boats, rafts, and kayaks. John also enjoyed gardening, hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, golfing, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. John was a skilled carpenter who was known for his finish work. He taught his son Matt the trade as well and they worked on many jobs together. John was an exuberant bartender as well, always insisting that you try his 'hot vodka'. John was hilarious and was certainly the life of the party. He was known by many as 'Johnny Hanna' for his delicious stir fry dinners and 'The Soup Nazi' for his incredible homemade soups. He was a superb cook and had a signature spicy mustard he made that his family called 'Grandpa's Mustard.'

John was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Doyle Holt '73 and brother-in-law Kerry Mersch. He is survived by his partner Jackie Goren, his three children, Traci (Bill) Jolly, Matt (Loretta) Lanes, and Jack Polanchek; his sisters, Sharon Holt Miller '67 (Tom) and Brenda Holt Mersch '60; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild; five nephews and one niece.

John was a loving, thoughtful and caring man. He will forever be in the hearts of those who knew him and deeply missed.

Ravalli Republic, July 25, 2021