John J. Hole

What a privilege to express our sorrow for the loss of our gentle, humorous friend and uncle. John J. Hole shed a blessed influence on those around him with an uncomplaining nature, a quick mind, helpful hands and a listening ear. Born in Mitchell, Nebraska in 1921 and raised in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, John had many tales to tell about growing up during the Depression. His father's services as a jeweler were not in high demand, so they needed to utilize the produce from their few acres to make up their lack. John remembers that there was no money to install running water or to extend the electrical wires to include their property, so a kerosene lantern was necessary for him to complete his homework assignments. "Jack" was his first transportation….a donkey that John rode to church and occasionally to school. John was a motivated student and actually taught himself to use a typewriter, to play the guitar and to read Greek, Hebrew, Italian, German and Spanish. He won numerous awards for his exceptional intellectual ability and achievements. He was a member of Mensa, in the Who's Who in American Universities, and a member of the American Math and Statistical Associations. John earned his BA from OCU before becoming a radio systems writer for the US Army Signal Corps. He remembers working on the radio system for the Enola Gay of WWII fame. Upon his honorable discharge, John worked as a math professor, simultaneously earning his MA with work as a Statistician for the Public Health Department, and in what would now be called Information Technology for the Department of Transportation. John reminds us that at that time, computers took up entire rooms that had to be carefully air-conditioned. John worked as a mathematician and computer programmer for Kerr McGee Oil Industries before he retired. John was a dedicated son, caring for his widowed mother until her passing. He enjoyed many friendships at work, at church and in his neighborhood. John was a cat lover; his last cat "Tiggy" often co-signed John's correspondence with a paw-print. An elder in the Presbyterian Church, John enjoyed using his knowledge of Greek and Hebrew to teach the word of God to his Sunday school class. As industries began to make the switch from typewriters to computers, John's computer knowledge and assistance were appreciated by the church staff. Calvin Presbyterian's church offices were where many of John's life-long friendships got their start. A good number of John's friends, co-workers and church family give John credit for their ability to use computers. "Professor" John moved to the community at St. Ann's Home in 2011, where he lived until his death on September 19, 2013. His friends agree: "We will surely miss you". "In a world where nice people are getting harder to find, John was simply one of the nicest." "John was a good son and brilliant scholar, a professor, a friend, and a godly man." "My life is richer for having known John and this world is a better place because of his being in it." John is survived by two nieces Evelyn L. Lyons of Denver, CO and Susan M. Kautz of Sheridan, WY.