George Winston "Tim" Holt, age 89, passed away peacefully on January 30, 2022 following a long and remarkable life.  Born on July 5, 1932 in the Golden, Oklahoma area, he was the son of George L. and Ola Mae (nee: Priddy) Holt - originally of Broken Bow, Oklahoma and DeQueen, Arkansas respectively. In addition to his parents, Tim was preceded in death by his beloved wife of over twenty years, Virginia [nee:  Southerland] Holt; and his older brother, Dual Clinton Holt.  He is survived by three sons born to his first marriage to Royce Lyn Holt in December of 1954, Terry (Donna) Holt of Conway, Arkansas, Jeff (Connie) Holt of Mountain View, Arkansas, and Jamie (Andrea) Holt of Conway, Arkansas, as well as one stepson, Kevin Dye of Conway, Arkansas. He was blessed with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, in whom he took great pride and interest.  His grandchildren include Morgan (Dillon) Holt Richard, Hunter (Elizabeth) Holt, Caitlin (Dylan) Holt Breeding, Davis Holt, Tanner (Trine) Holt, Bailey Holt and Keith (Charity) Dye. His great-grandchildren are Ben – son of Caitlin and Dylan; Caroline - daughter of Hunter and Elizabeth; Beckham and Bennett - sons of Morgan and Dillon; and Alex and Madison, son and daughter of Keith and Charity.

As a child, George Winston moved west with his family from Oklahoma to Arizona during the Great Depression.  He graduated from Flagstaff, Arizona High School in 1952.  He was a standout football, baseball and track athlete, and there demonstrated a toughness, confidence and desire to excel that became lifelong character signatures.  Following graduation he enlisted in the United States Air Force.  At age 19 he served his country during the Korean War, returning with combat wounds that remained with him for the remainder of his life.  With a strong mind for electronics honed during his Air Force tenure and an indomitable spirit, he pursued a career in the fledgling U.S. space program.  He worked for various space program contractors, frequently relocating his young family across the U.S. before securing a role as a telemetry specialist on the Gemini, Saturn and Apollo rockets at Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1967-1970.  While employed in the space program, he was recognized for outstanding performance on many occasions, and ultimately inducted into the Apollo-Saturn V Role of Honor for his contributions.

In 1972 he relocated his family to Arkansas following the death of his brother-in-law and a need to be closer to extended family.  He took employment with the Veteran's Administration in North Little Rock, where he remained for 20+ years.  As with his work in the space program, his VA career was highlighted by awards for excellence.  He retired as the General Foreman for the VA hospitals in North Little Rock and Little Rock.  The friendships he made while working for the VA were lifelong, as was his pride in supporting other U.S. veterans.

While employed at the Veterans Administration, he rekindled his interest in running as a means to spend more time with his sons.  Over a 15 year career as an amateur runner, he consistently won his age group classifications over 5K and 10K distances, and was the Arkansas State Sprint-Triathlon champion for his age group (65-69) following his retirement.  At age 65, he also filled in with little notice to play in a Tri-Jones Senior League baseball game in Little Rock with two of his sons, hitting a single off a former D-1 collegiate baseball pitcher.

While he took great interest in his work, his greatest love, focus and pride was overwhelmingly found in his role as a father.  He coached, fished, hunted and wrestled with his sons.  He tried earnestly to teach them, and supported them with all of his time and ability; and certainly all of his heart.  In return he was deeply revered by them.  He was an infallible ethical compass.  An excellent problem-solver.  A coach and motivator.  An unambiguous and fearsome disciplinarian.  A formidable athlete and competitor.  And a man rich with family and life experiences.  He was also the toughest, most resilient, least fearful man to walk the earth.

His memory and lessons will live on through his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

George Winston was a Christian and a member of the Saltillo Heights Baptist Church, where he served several years as a Sunday school teacher.

Funeral services will be 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at Saltillo Heights Baptist Church (1 Grand Trunk Road, Conway, Arkansas 72032). Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. A graveside service and interment will take place at Chapel Hill Memorial Park (1504 N. JP Wright Loop Road, Jacksonville, Arkansas, 72076) following the services at Saltillo Heights.  The family requests that donations be made to the Saltillo Heights Baptist Church. Arrangements by Moore's Jacksonville Funeral Home, (501) 982-2136.