WWII airman from Cresson to be buried Monday
Holoka died in 1944 when his bomber crashed in England
Trending
The remains of a World War II airman from Cresson that were found recently at a bomber crash site in England will be buried Monday in Portage.
B-24 flight engineer John Holoka was one of three crew members killed in the crash, which occurred after flak had damaged the plane near Versailles, France, and pilot William Montgomery managed to guide it back as far as the English coast, allowing the other crew members to bail out to safety.
There will be visitation from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Serenko-Claar Funeral Home, 812 Main St., Portage, followed immediately by a funeral service at the funeral home; and then, around 11:30 a.m. or a little after, burial at St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Church Cemetery nearby, according to a funeral home representative.
Originally, the family planned to have Mass at the church, but the church is small, and not handicap-accessible, the representative said.
A priest from the church, however, will conduct the service at the funeral home.
The Army is sending a delegation to provide military honors for the funeral.
"We are just so happy and so proud that his remains were recovered, and he is finally going to be with his parents," said Susan Kalinoski of Bellwood, Holoka's niece -- daughter of Holoka's youngest sister, Ann, also known as Honey.
All of Holoka's siblings have died, but at least the next generation of the family -- her generation -- experienced the discovery of the remains, Kalinoski said.
If that discovery had occurred many years later, the memories of her "Uncle Johnny" would have grown faint, she said.
Monday is the 104th anniversary of his birth.
Born in 1919, Holoka died at 25, she said.
Her mother was born in 1927, eight years after John, but "they were close," she said.
Based on family lore and the letters she read "when I was a kid," her uncle was "sweet and kind," she stated.
"We all knew him -- though we never knew him -- from talking about him," she said.
He was affectionate -- though a bit formal in addressing his mother by mail.
"My dearest mother" was his greeting, according to Kalinoski.
"Go figure," she said.
Holoka last wrote to his mother in May 1944, the month before he died, Kalinoski said.
In that letter, he said he was looking forward to getting letters he knew she'd written, and that were being held until they could be delivered, Kalinoski said.
"He was a good guy," she stated. "I think I'm going to make myself cry."
Her mother never got over her brother's death. Because of her brother's death, she could never watch a war movie, according to Kalinoski, who is 63.
Kalinoski's grandmother, Holoka's mother, by contrast, was "very strong," Kalinoski said.
She was "always aloof (in) talking about him," she said.
The family is thankful to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency for discovering and identifying the remains, according to Kalinoski.