Andy Hollar

Victor “Andy” Hollar, 82, peacefully departed to be with his Lord and Savior on May 16, 2024 in Pueblo, Colorado. He is survived by his best friend and wife, Jill Hollar, with whom he shared nearly 20 years of love and adventure together.

Andy made his arrival into the world on April 28, 1942 in Ames, Iowa to proud parents Victor and Laura Hollar. While rare for that time-period, his mother captured many adorable photographs of his early years, showcasing his bright eyes, fine blond hair, and that familiarly contagious and bubbly smile. It was in 1947 that his family relocated to Rocky Ford, Colorado where his father purchased a seed company that soon became the well-known and established family business, Hollar Seeds.

Hunting, camping, and fishing described the formative years of most of Andy’s childhood. He often recalled enthralling stories of past trips with his father and the excitement that came from their hunting adventures together. This love for the outdoors and nature is what inspired many of Andy’s future endeavors as he traveled across the world. Most notable was his several week-long trip to Africa with his father in 1993 in which he kept a detailed journal of their daily activities. Noted on the first day of the trip was a sweet recap of his experience, “A perfect end to a perfect day, and a perfect start on the rest of the hunt!” He was continually optimistic, energetic, and enthusiastic about the future, no matter what yesterday had brought along with it.

Self-described as timid and shy in high school, Andy’s interests developed into quiet hobbies of building toy models, participating in heavy-weight wrestling and drama club, and he even took a try at learning to play the guitar. As a teenager, he kept a side job laying tile with a brick mason in the Arkansas Valley area and maintained a willingness to learn new skills in the years that followed. He would try anything at least once and as his wife would jokingly tell him, he seemed to find a new hobby every month!

After graduating from Rocky Ford High School in 1960, Andy went on to pursue a Mechanical Engineering degree from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. It was soon after this that he was drafted into the United States Navy in which he became a Naval Officer and was honorably discharged after serving in the Vietnam War. In September of 1971, he became registered as a Professional Engineer in the State of Colorado and worked as the Director of Public Works for Boulder, CO. During his time in this position, he was quoted by The Denver Post as, “a city bureaucrat who stepped in to save the day – and the race!” when he secured a last-minute permit on the day of the very first BOLDERBoulder Run in 1979. At the time he simply considered this task as part of doing what he was hired to do, but it was that permit that ensured the race would remain 45 years later, now titled Colorado’s biggest Memorial Day tradition.

In the mid-1980’s, Andy returned to Rocky Ford, CO and settled comfortably into family life to raise his children. He took on the position of Chief Financial Officer of Hollar Seeds along with his brothers and father and remained there until his retirement in 2015. Andy was an avid gun collector and for over a decade he held the title of President of the United States Practical Shooting Association and was responsible for setting up world-wide gun matches multiple times per year. Andy met his wife Jill in 2005 and in July of 2009, they had a small intimate wedding in one of their favorite locations, Taos, New Mexico. Over the years they created fond memories of trips on their motorcycles, traveling, cooking, and being grandparents together where he became affectionately known to his local grandchildren as Papa Andy.

He is remembered by his children as faithfully greeting them with a simple “Hey kiddo” as a term of endearment, along with his signature tilt of the head when he let out a hearty laugh. He had an ornery streak and loved to make hilarious expressions when he found something to be shocking or ridiculous. With his sense of humor, he liked to see how easily he could get Jill to react to him throwing away new or unused items that he deemed to be too difficult to deal with. It was a running joke at home that if you couldn’t find it, Andy probably threw it away!

While he had many quirky and fun traditions over the years, his daughter Kelly fondly recalls Sunday mornings in the garage, listening to NPR and tinkering together on a project in the woodshop with a glint-in his eye when something tickled him. It was his annual tradition to make a pot of oyster stew on Christmas Eve, although he usually had it all to himself. His daughter Lori remembers his tender-hearted love for animals that he shared with her as she grew up and him expressing regret that he did not pursue a career in veterinary medicine. His stepdaughter June most notably will remember the sound of his boisterous laugh, his random gifts when he felt they were simply needed, and his requests to “give me a kiss” in the recent days before his passing.

What made Andy’s personality so special and unique is that he possessed the ability to think both logically and strategically, yet he also exhibited great people skills and never truly knew a stranger. As described by his little sister, Andy could be compared to a crab; tough on the exterior, but inside revealed a very tender-hearted and soft man full of love to give. He would have chuckled at that sentiment! Gifted with many artistic talents, it was no surprise that he was continually building, creating, or exploring something or somewhere new. Many of his close friends and family have been gifted his skillfully curated jewelry, photos, or woodworking pieces over the years.

Andy was diagnosed in 2011 with Spinocerebellar Ataxia, a complex health condition that affects one’s coordination and movement. While this diagnosis impacted Andy’s ability to do much of what he loved, he handled the evolving physical changes with grace, patience, and gentleness. He became wheel-chair bound in 2018, but remained determined to live his life to the absolute fullest and continued to go on short trips and outings whenever possible, always with a camera in hand to document the journey ahead.

In his later years, Andy enjoyed being with his wife, children, grandchildren, and pet dogs Bailey, Buddy, and cat Georgie both at home and at his cabin in Cuchara, CO. In the evenings, you would undoubtedly find him watching Gunsmoke or Fox News while sipping his evening glass of Seagram’s Whiskey. It was not unusual to find him bird watching, reclining in his chair for a short nap, or spending time on his computer playing Backgammon. He loved strawberry milkshakes, playing board games with his grandkids, watching westerns (and even the occasional Hallmark movie), YouTube videos (usually on guns or woodworking), listening to Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and enjoying audio books.

Andy leaves behind his cherished wife and life partner, Jill; his children Eric Hollar, Lori (Mark) Rainey, Kelly (Christine) Hollar; his stepchildren Julie (Ryan) Sloan, June (John) Jaramillo, and James (Jackie) Ard; his grandchildren Luci Swim, Josiah Swim, Jude Fields, Elizabeth (Jessie) Alcott, Heather, Isabella, Abigail, and Sophia Jaramillo, and Jamie and Jessa Ard; his siblings Jim Hollar, Kitty (Don) Overmeyer, and Larry (Helen) Hollar; his part-time caregiver and close friend, Jeanette Atkins; along with several nieces, nephews, and close friends.

He is preceded in death by his father Victor Hollar, step-mother Bert Hollar, and his mother Laura Hollar.

A viewing will be held on Thursday, May 30, 2024 from 4-6 p.m. The funeral service will be held on Friday, May 31, 2024 at 10 a.m. both held at Imperial Memorial Garden Funeral Home located at 5450 W State Highway 78, Pueblo, CO 81005.

Please direct all flowers to Imperial Funeral Home- 5450 Highway 78 W. Pueblo, CO. 81005