Thursday, March 13, 2008
Now Playing: Be Mine..Jackie Wilson (continued)..(instrumental) Bill Black Combo..I Found A Love--Wilson Pickett..Cherry Pie--Skip and Flip..Step By Step--The Crests..Turn On Your Lovelight--Bobby Bland..Tell Me Why--The Belmonts..My Heart Has A Mind Of It`s Own--Connie Francis..(instrumental) The String-a-Longs..Wiggle Wobble--Les Cooper
Erik Holm who just recently passed on with lung cancer in January, 2008..This is his junior high school photo in the seventh grade, 1957..I was in the ninth grade at Emerson Junior High School in Pomona where Erik also was attending school..He is the younger brother of Michael Holm..I got along real well with Erik..He was real easy going...Mike, on the the other hand, would flare up on occasion with wild outbursts of rage, but I got along well with both brothers, actually...I lost touch with the Holm Family after we moved from Alvarado Street to Elaine Street in Pomona...My folks gave Erik my paper route with the Progress Bulletin in Pomona in 1956 because they were planning to send me back to military school in San Diego, but their plans sort of fell through and I wound up attending public schools again and my folks hated me for it, but that`s a whole other story...Here is what Karla Holm posted in the GHS forum about her brother Erik`s passing, as follows:
Erik F. Holm, Class of '62, 1944-2008
My brother Erik passed away last week on Jan 9, 2008. Some of you might remember he had lung cancer surgery back in Dec 2005 where they removed the lower lobe of one of his lungs (mentioned in the memorial thread for my other brother Mike that passed away back then.)
After the surgery, he had some serious complications, but got better and was eventually released. At the time, his girlfriend Linda was at his side day and night. He went thru chemo with flying colors...no adverse side effects...which we were ALL pleased about and in August of that year (2006) Linda became his wife.
That Autumn, Erik lost his voice. After some tests, they found that his cancer had come back. One of the tumors in his lung was on the laryngeal nerve, which had paralyzed it, making his voice just a whisper. They tried many different ways to get his voice to come back, but each time it was temporary. The tumors didn't seem to be growing, so we were all hopeful and optimistic.
When Erik and his family came up to visit us this past July, he looked great. His hip hurt him a bit, but other than that, he was doing pretty well. He fell in love with the area and had plans to move up here sometime in the next year which delighted my family like you couldn't believe. We were so excited to be able to have those old family get-togethers like we used to when we only lived about an hour or so away from them, especially since mom was now up here too.
When they got back to So. Cal, his shoulder was hurting him, so he went to the Dr and they thought that one of the tumors in his lung might be causing that pain. They decided to start him on another chemo regimine this Fall, only this time he wasn't as lucky as the first time. The effects of the chemo really took its toll and debilitated him to the point that his body couldn't fight back.
On Dec 13th or 14th, he collapsed and was taken to the hospital where he remained till his death. He became so weak that he had a machine doing his breathing for him. And in the weeks that followed, he was kept almost unconscious with the amount of pain killers he needed. In those 3-4 weeks, the cancer spread to other parts of his body and on Jan 9th the doctors took him off the respirator. By 6:47 that evening, he had passed away, surrounded by those he loved and that loved him. They all said prayers for him and one friend whose voice my sister-in-law says is "angelic", sang songs to him. I wish I could have been there. When I get sad at our plans that will never make it to fruition, I think about the way he was sent on his journey and that makes me happy for him.
Michael Holm`s 1959 Ganesha High school, Pomona, Calif. graduation photo
The Holm Family..A family of Swedish decent who were our next door neighbors on Alvarardo Street in Pomona, Calif...from left to right, in rear: the grandmother, Mrs. Holm and then Mr. Holm..In front: Chris, Erik and Mike...Photo taken around 1953...A few years later they had a baby girl named Karla...Both Mike and Erik have recently passed on...We moved from 404 W. Alvarado to 671 Elaine Street in Pomona in April, 1957, on the other side of town when I was still in junior high school in the ninth grade..
I found the following forum for Ganesha High School in Pomona on the internet where Mike Holm`s younger sister graduated in 1973, and she seems to be quite popular in this particular forum, but anyway, she posted the following about the passing of her brother Mike Holm whom I also knew as my next door neighbor in Pomona, as follows:
Michael L. Holm, Class of '59, 1940-2005
If you can believe this, I am actually going to be brief(er). I wanted to let anyone that may be interested know that my brother Mike died yesterday. He had been hospitalized since late last week in Pasadena. He had emphysema. He could breathe in but was having trouble breathing out. He had been hospitalized with lung problems a few times over the last few years and always got better so I think we all didn't take it as seriously.
My middle brother Erik just had the lower lobe of one of his lungs removed due to cancer on Monday (12/5/05) so when my mom called me, I thought the news was regarding him. I never thought it could be about Michael. I am not sure what he died of as of yet (heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure), but I will post it when I find out.
Michael's last 35 years were very lonely ones. I think he was ready to pass on and had come to terms with it quite a few years ago. So those of us that loved him know he is in a better place and that there is now an end to his suffering, but it still is sad for those of us left behind.
...Tom Hatten with Popeye on KTLA television in the 1950`s
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)