David Larry Holton

David Larry Holton, 79 David Larry Holton, a loving husband, father, son, brother, grandfather, uncle, teacher, coach and friend, passed away peacefully Monday, July 29, 2019, with family by his side. He was 79. David was born Dec. 1, 1939, in Louisville, Kentucky, to John Henry and Maybelle Louise Holton. In 1957, he graduated from Valley High School, where he met the love of his life, Dolores Sue Lott. The two reportedly hit a rough patch when David took another girl to the senior prom, but Sue said he won her back with his weekly – often daily – letters home from college at Morehead State University. They married March 11, 1961. At Morehead, David played football and threw discus and shotput for the Eagles’ field team. He graduated from the university in 1962 with a degree in Industrial Arts and later earned his Master’s in Education with an emphasis in counseling from Western Kentucky University. David returned to Valley High School as a mechanical drafting and woodshop teacher and coached members of the Vikings’ track and field and cross-country teams to regional and state championships. After earning his Master’s, he worked as a guidance counselor, often serving as a mentor for teenagers from troubled homes at Thomas Jefferson High School, Stuart High School, Iroquois Middle School, Conway Middle School and Pleasure Ridge Park High School, where he coached his son, Andrew, to a regional championship in golf. Mr. Holton truly loved his students, and they loved him in return. “He made you feel like you meant something,” Mark Taylor, a student David worked with at Conway and PRP, wrote in a Facebook post. “ … to a lot of black kids from the West End of Louisville who went to Conway or PRP, he was like a father figure that some kids didn’t have at home or in their lives at those times.” David was also an active member of the Southwest Louisville community. He has served as president of the Southwest Community Festival and was a member of Mosaic Methodist Church. It was impossible to be in a bad mood around David, who was soft spoken but understood how to say more with less. He was the epitome of dependable, quick to extend a helping hand to anyone in need no matter the request, and graciously expected nothing in return. He had an infectious laugh, especially when recounting stories from his childhood – like one rainy game during his high school football career when he and his Valley teammates rubbed handfuls of mud onto opposing players’ faces when they tackled them to the ground. His favorite four words were, “That’s my gin card.” He built beautiful sandcastles during every family trip to the beach and passed down the technique of drizzling wet sand on top of his work for decoration’s sake to his grandchildren, who will teach their children to do the same. He had such a sweet tooth that he often skipped dinner and went straight for a massive slice of pie with a side of vanilla ice cream. Maybe that’s why he and Sue named their beloved Lhasa Apso “Sugar.” He was a skilled golfer and loved spending time practicing and teaching those skills to others, children and strangers alike, at Sun Valley and Bobby Nichols golf courses. On Dec. 1, 2007, he shot a 68 on his 68th birthday. He spent many beautiful fall Saturdays raking leaves with his children and listening to Cawood Ledford call University of Kentucky football games on the radio. In the winter, Sundays after church often meant a pot of chili and gathering his young family around the television to watch his beloved Cleveland Browns tease him with thoughts of reaching the Super Bowl. His love and dedication to these teams and their often-futile pursuits of success has been passed down through two generations of Holtons and peaked in 2007, when he was at Commonwealth Stadium to watch the Wildcats beat No. 1 LSU. Most importantly, though, his compassion and selflessness knew no limit. He would do anything for those he loved, and may those who had the privilege of knowing him carry that trait forward in his honor until the end of time. David was preceded in death by his father, John, mother, Louise, and brothers Joseph and Henry. He is survived by his wife, Sue, children David (Andrea), Amy (Mark) and Andrew (Holly), four grandchildren, Hunter, Brooks, Max and Suzannah, brother Jack (Edna), sister Jannine, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. David’s family extends a special thank you to the nurses and staff at Norton Cancer Clinic, especially Jessica. A visitation service will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at Owen Funeral Home, 5317 Dixie Hwy. An additional visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at the Moremen Family Chapel at Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing, 7410 Moorman Rd. Funeral services will follow at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, David’s family asks for donations to the Rochester, Minnesota, branch of the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge – 411 Second St. NW, Rochester, MN 55901.

David Larry Holton

December 1, 1939 - July 29, 2019