Burnell Holcomb
Burnell “Buster” Lee Holcomb was born March 19, 1929, in Helena, Montana. He died Jan. 18, 2021, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, at the age of 91.
Burnell moved to Michigan from Montana at the age of 6 with his family. Later in life he worked on a ship as a merchant marine, worked as a crane operator and served in the Army during the ending of World War II. Then Burnell met Wauneta, married and settled down in Michigan, where he went into farming like his father and grandfather.
In 1969 Burnell, Wauneta and their son Bill moved to the Wages community in Colorado to their new farm/dairy. Shortly after the move, their son Brian was born. Burnell worked on the farm/dairy until a farming accident happened, causing him to be in the VA hospital in Denver for a couple of years.
Once he was able to come home, he and his son Bill continued farming and raised livestock. After retirement from the farm, he worked in the community as a mechanic/jack of all trades at Big A Auto Parts and Bob’s Mower and helped many neighbors. In 2014 Burnell and Wauneta moved to Oklahoma to be closer to their son Bill and wife Barb.
Burnell loved to play cards, especially pinochle, at family gatherings for endless hours. If you could not find him in the house watching old westerns on the TV, watching the birds — especially the red cardinals and hummingbirds — in his backyard through the window, he would be out tinkering around in the garage or he would be in the yard caring for his roses. He also might be out terrorizing the community in his golf cart.
Burnell was preceded in death by his father, Lloyd Holcomb; mother, Eva Holcomb; sister, Geneva Gagnon; brother, Keith Holcomb and wife Wava; and bother-in-law, David Liebler.
Burnell is survived by his wife, Wauneta of Kellyville, Oklahoma; sister, Barbara Liebler of Phoenix, Arizona; sons, Bill Holcomb and wife Barbara of Kellyville and Brian Holcomb of Las Vegas, Nevada; three grandchildren, Cory Holcomb and wife Bridget of LaSalle, Chad Holcomb and wife Marla of Hamilton, Montana, and Carisa Jorgensen and Harley Palmer of Sand Springs, Oklahoma; 10 great-grandchildren, Hailey, Kiana, Tyson, Caitie, Kaila, Nevaeh, Sierra, Emmy, Brooke and Jack; numerous cousins, nephews and nieces; his adopted family, Dean Brom and wife Barb and their five children, and Boyd Smith and wife Jessie and their four children; and many, many friends.