Celebrating life…Al Holowinski
Al Holowinski, a patriot and a family man, of Castle Rock,
Colorado, died Saturday, March 21, 2009, after a lengthy battle
with cancer. He was a true American having served his country
proudly through three wars-World War II, the Korean War and the
Vietnam War.
Funeral mass will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 24 at St. Francis
of Assisi Roman Catholic Church in Castle Rock, Colorado.
Internment will be at Fort Logan Military Cemetery in Denver,
Colorado.
Al Holowinski was born March 26, 1929, in the town of Dickenson,
New York. He was the son of immigrant parents Frank Holowinski from
Russia (Poland) and Zophia Dul from Austria (Poland).
In his youth, he was known as Ben and grew up during the Great
Depression of the 1930s. He graduated from University of Maryland
with a business degree and a master’s degree from Virginia Tech
(VPI).
He served in the Army during WWII during the occupation of
Germany and the Berlin Airlift as a sergeant in the Armored Corp.
He enlisted as a sergeant in the Air Force at the start of the
Korean War and was with the Strategic Air Command 7th Bomb Wing
reaching the grade of T/Sgt. before attending Officers Candidate
School. He had several stateside assignments in the security and
intelligence field.
While stationed in Japan, he was responsible for the security of
all housing areas and military installations in the greater Tokyo
area under the 8th Air Force. He also was assigned to the Mobile
Strike Force which operated out of the Philippines and set up air
bases in Thailand, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asia countries.
During his tour, he was selected to evaluate the military security
of air bases in Thailand and Vietnam.
Upon completion of his tour, he was assigned to Washington,
D.C., with the Defense Intelligence Agency as head of physical
security for several classified locations within and around the
Washington, D.C. area.
Upon retirement from the military, he joined several aerospace
companies in managerial roles namely General Dynamics F-111 in Fort
Worth, TX, and Rochester, NY, and Fairchild Industries in
Germantown, MD, and Martin Marietta in Denver, CO.
He is survived by his three daughters Karen Holowinski of Castle
Rock, Colorado, Maggie Bonham of Missoula, Montana, and Carol
Richtsmeier of Ovilla, Texas, and his grandchildren, Jennifer Melia
and Lindsey Elizabeth Richtsmeier of Ovilla, Texas. He also is
survived by several nieces and nephews as well as many dear friends
and loved ones.
