Joe was born on February 20, 1925 in Edinburg, ND, the son of the late Ole & Matilda "Tillie" (Halvorson) Holm. Joe was the 5th of 6 children. He completed his education in the Dundee Township District 35 School in the rural Edinburg/Hoople area. He went on to work on his family’s farm. Joe served in the United States Army from 1945 to 1946, spending time in the Philippines and Korea. Following his military service, he returned to North Dakota to farm. Joe was united in marriage to Mae Monson on October 25, 1953 and had three children. He farmed until his retirement in 1989 but continued to assist on the farm for many years afterwards.
Joe was a proud military veteran and active member of the American Legion Post 156 in Edinburg, ND for over 70 years. He was also a member of the Edinburg Fire Department, Dundee Township Board, Hvideso Lutheran Church of rural Hoople, and Trinity Lutheran Church of Edinburg. He was incredibly prideful of his Norwegian heritage and cooked lutefisk at the Park River Bible Camp for many years. Joe was an accomplished self-made carpenter, mechanic, welder, and engineer. He always looked for ways to support his community and neighbors, including dowsing wells and repairing furnaces. Joe enjoyed fishing and loved spending time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
He is survived by his three children: Jane (Camburn) Shephard Crystal, ND; John (Lea) Holm Park River, ND; Tom (Kristi) Holm Hoople, ND; four grandchildren: Catherine (Richard) Booth Cavalier, ND; Tyson (Kenzie) Holm Omaha, NE; Rachel (Cody) Johansen Hoople, ND; and Jacob Holm Grand Forks ND; five step grandchildren, four great grandchildren, four step great grandchildren, and a special niece, Loretta (David) Schmidt of Colorado. Several other nieces and nephews also survive. He was preceded in death by his wife Mae, parents, and siblings: Bernice, Raymond, Gilman, Leonard, and Fred.
A walk-through visitation will be held on Monday, January 18, 2021 from 12:30-2:00 PM at the Trinity Lutheran Church, Edinburg, ND. A private funeral service will follow the visitation. The funeral will be live streamed on the Tollefson Funeral Home Inc. Facebook page. A video of the service will be posted to the Tollefson Funeral Home Website following the service. Interment will be at Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in the spring. A celebration of Joe’s life will be held later following the pandemic restrictions.