Dennis John Holty

March 9, 1947 - March 16, 2015

Dennis John Holty, 68, Spring Grove, MN died suddenly on Monday, March 16, 2015 near the farm he purchased from his grandfather, Oscar, located on Highway 44, between Spring Grove and Mabel. Dennis was born at the hospital in Spring Grove, March 9, 1947 to Lorren and Genevieve (Landsom) Holty. He loved the farm and farmed in partnership with his father and then later, his son. One of his first major purchases on his own was 140 acres of land we called the “Pasture Farm”. Many great times playing in the creek, hiking, weenie roasts, along with the practical aspect of being an excellent spot to pasture cattle. He was fortunate to have an aunt, Kathy, who was close in age and also fond of mischief and fun. He received a '66 Mustang as a graduation gift that was also a source of entertainment, including a first-time trip to Chicago with a Mustang-load of teenagers. Dennis lived at home until he married his wife of 38 years, Betty, on December 18, 1976. They met at a Lundstrum Bible Study hosted by Betty at her home in Burr Oak. Dennis was a friendly man who wasn't long on talking. When he called to ask the minister to marry them he asked Pastor Kirk how he was doing that day ... twice. When they married Dennis also adopted Bertha Lou and Christina. They cattle shopped on their honeymoon tour around Iowa and actually purchased a bull they named "Honey". Their family was later joined by a daughter, Janelle, and a son, Ben. All four of the kids enjoyed the activities on the farm and Dennis was very involved in helping them with their menagerie of 4-H critters and projects. Dennis was an active member of Calvary Evangelical Free Church in Spring Grove his entire life. While Denny wasn't a huge talker, it was worthwhile to pay attention when he did talk - he had usually been thinking about what he was going to say for awhile. He enjoyed speaking at various churches as a representative of the Gideon organization, of which he was a long-time membe,r as well as one of its dedicated advocates. He found satisfaction in handing out Bibles in many different situations: schools, jails and just last Saturday evening, at a Youth Concert in Spring Grove. He truly believed that the Word of God distributed would not return void. In recent years he has enjoyed doing projects around the house, helping Betty in the garden, marketing his eggs and meeting new people at the Farmers Market. Dennis is survived by his wife Betty (Clark), his mother Genevieve (Landsom) Holty, daughter Bertha (Kevin) Franzen, daughter Christina (Manuel) Fajardo, daughter Janelle (Todd) Halverson and son Ben Holty. Four grandchildren, Autumn, Jose, Travis and Elizabeth and one great-grandchild, Joey. He was preceded in death by his father, Lorren Holty, his mother and father in law, Glenn and Marjorie Clark, and an infant brother.