Rastus “Smokey” Holcomb
Rastus “Smokey” Holcomb, CPO, USN, (RETIRED) 90 of California, MD, died on Saturday, June 26, 2004 in Prince Frederick, MD.

Born on December 4, 1913 in Mount Vernon, TN, he was the son of the late Ralston Pulaski and Jessie Oregon Moses Holcomb.

Smokey attended Tellico Plains High School. He served his country from 1934 until 1955 in the U.S. Navy, retiring after 21 years of service as a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer. He received the National Defense Medal. Eleven of those years were on a battleship, the U.S.S. Arkansas BB-33. As a crewmember during WWII, he served in the following theaters, thirteen North Atlantic convoy crossings, Normandy D-Day invasion June 6, 1944 and other battleship actions in Cherbourg, Casablanca, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. He was an active member of the U.S.S. Arkansas BB-33 Shipmate Association. Smokey was a narrator for the Academy Award nominated Public Television Special, “D-Day Remembered” produced for the National D-Day Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana. Smokey received the Normandy Jubilee Liberty Medal April 8, 2001. He was clearly a member of “The Greatest Generation”. Following his naval career, Smokey worked as the Patuxent River Navy Exchange Food Services Manager, retiring from his second career in 1976.

Mr. Holcomb is survived by his beloved wife of 70 years, Nellie Lee Holcomb; his son, Jack L. Holcomb of California, MD; his grandson, Steven L. Holcomb and his wife and son, Diane O’Brien and William Andrew of Gambrills, MD, his grandson Christopher M. Holcomb of Columbia, SC, his daughters-in-law, Marjorie D. Holcomb of Lexington Park, MD and Karen E. Holcomb of California, MD; his step-granddaughter, Janice E. Tyson of California, MD; his sister, Maude Gregory of Tellico Plains, TN, his brothers; Rankin Holcomb and Donald Holcomb of Madisonville, TN and Travis Holcomb of Tellico Plains, TN. He was preceded in death by his sisters; Bonnie Daughtry, Gussie Sitzlar, Sybil Harris and his brothers; Creed Holcomb, Ross Holcomb and Austin Holcomb.

Visitation and services will be held at the Patuxent Presbyterian Church, located at the corner of Kingston and Route 4, California, MD on Wednesday, June 30, 2004. Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Services will be at 7:00 p.m. A visitation will be held on Saturday, July 3, 2004 from 9:00 until 11:00 am at the Biereley - Hale Funeral Home, Mount Vernon, TN. Interment will follow in the Eleazar Methodist Church Cemetery, Mount Vernon, TN at 11:30 am.

Serving as pallbearers will be Steven Holcomb, Christopher Holcomb, Christopher Bowes, Robert Davis, Richard Bjurberg and Wayne Putnam.

Arrangements have been made through Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown, MD and Biereley-Hale Funeral Home in Mount Vernon, TN.

Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation Nursing Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 527, Leonardtown, MD 20650 and/or the Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad, Inc. P.O. Box 79, Hollywood, MD 20636.