Rex Lee Holt

Rex Lee Holt, Sr, 88, of Clovis, N.M., passed away Saturday, November 8, 2014 in Clovis, NM.

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Services will be held November 12, 2014 at 1:00 at the Vera Methodist church, with Pastor Rex Holt officiating. Burial will be in the Vera Community Cemetery, Vera, Texas with military graveside rites provided by the U.S. Navy, under the direction of Archer Funeral Home, Seymour, Texas.

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Rex was born December 6, 1925 in Ropesville, Texas to Marion and Creola Sitton Holt. He was a WWII veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving as an electrician in the Asiatic Pacific Area.

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Shortly after getting out of the Navy, he married Audrey Nichols on May 23, 1947. They were married for 67 years. Their union produced three children, five grandchildren and five great grandchildren. The first years of their marriage were mostly spent in the Abilene, Texas area where Rex predominately worked as a self employed truck driver. In 1964 he had a career change which started with him driving oil transport trucks, and eventually led to being a lead pipeline gager for an oilfield company. He retired from Permian Oil Corporation after 25 years of service. At the end of that career, Rex and Audrey moved to the Melrose, NM area where he started an orchard on a Holt family homestead. He worked the orchard until after their 50 ^th wedding anniversary, when a health issue forced him to divorce himself of that final career and move to Clovis.

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He served his fellow man as a Master Mason, and was known for his honest, hardworking, helpful nature. He viewed it as his personal duty to be loyal to both his family and friends. Men from all walks of life respected him regardless of their varied education and social economic backgrounds.

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His life was a model for his children and grandchildren. He set high standards and encouraged each to achieve their potential in their relationships and careers.

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Rex's grandson, Lt. Commander Jon Schaffner, when he was the executive officer of the submarine USS Santa Fe, honored Rex in an article published on the Navy News Service.

"This journey started when I was a child, near Melrose, N.M., on my grandfather's pecan orchard. My grandfather, Rex Holt, a World War II Navy veteran, taught me the importance of perseverance, dedication, and teamwork, all of which is required to successfully employ Santa Fe during our Western Pacific deployment.

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His grandson Jason Holt stated in a recent Facebook message: "I will always treasure the moments we had working on the orchard together. Spending those weekends with you and Granny are some of the best memories I have. I always wanted to make you proud."

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He was preceded in death by his parents, 5 brothers and 3 sisters.

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He is survived by his wife, Audrey Holt of Clovis, NM; a son, Rev. Rex Holt, Jr., and wife, Shirley of Clovis; 2 daughters: Janis Schaffner of Clovis, and Jo Ann Timberlake and husband, Bob of Dallas, TX; 1 sister, Mae Reeves of Albuquerque, NM; 3 brothers, Jerry Holt of Stockton, CA; Kyle Holt of Austin, TX; and Charles Holt of Lubbock, TX; 5 grandchildren, Jon and James Schaffner; Jason Holt, Laura English and Daniel Timberlake; and 5 great grandchildren, Jacob and Waverly Schaffner; Poema and Isla Timberlake; and Nora Schaffner.

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Visitation will be from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m., November 12, 2014 at the funeral home.