John T. Hollaway, Sr.

John T. Hollaway, Sr., 87, of Georgetown, Texas, passed away peacefully on November 29, 2023, surrounded by his loving wife, Ann, and his five children. John was born on December 16, 1935, to Thomas and Rosemary Hollaway in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from St. Catherine Laboure High School, he served in the Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Boxer. John served two years in the Navy before contracting tuberculosis and losing part of his lungs. He was honorably discharged as a disabled veteran. John married BJ O’Brien on July 6, 1957, and they were blessed to have five children – Larry, Tom, Linda, Donna and John, Jr. He then went to college to study Electrical Engineering. He earned two degrees in Electrical Engineering; a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri at Rolla (1964, now called Missouri S&T) and a Master’s degree from the University of Kentucky (1966). After graduation, he started a satisfying 25+ year career at IBM, eventually becoming a third-level manager. During his time with IBM, John and his family lived in Lexington, Kentucky, and finally settled in Austin, Texas in 1970. He retired in 1992, shortly after John Jr. began his career at IBM Austin. In February 1998, John’s wife BJ passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. John would then spend time traveling, golfing and visiting family. While in California with his daughter Donna and her husband Bud, John got his first hole-in-one! John was blessed again when he met Ann on December 12, 2003, set up on a blind date, attending his niece Carolyn’s wedding. They were instantly connected. They married on April 24, 2004. John and Ann lived life to the fullest and enjoyed family time, travel, golf, and hosting events in their home. John also had a passion for home improvement projects – he and Ann shared their talents by remodeling many of their children’s homes! John commanded a room with his smile, his laugh and his witty humor. Perfectly matched by Ann’s boundless energy and fun-loving spirit, he and Ann shared so much joy with others during their 20 years together. Their door was always open and family and friends always felt welcomed. 

John was preceded in death by wife BJ, grandson Anthony, sister Rose, and brother Jim. He is survived by his wife Ann; sister Beverly, brother Steve; and his five children. John enjoyed time with his  11 grandchildren – Bryan, Kenny, Laura; Anthony; Jenni, Hoss, Christi; Evan, Sean; Brendan and Ryan. He was also proud to have 14 great-grandchildren: Kellan, Landon, Pierce; Hannah, Kaitlyn; Kyleigh, Conner, James, Kenzie; Miles, Kyler, Wyatt; Henry and Charlie.

Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at Santa Rosa de Lima Catholic Church at 6571 Farm to Market Road 970, Andice, Texas. Interment with military honors will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at Cook Walden Capital Parks Cemetery at 14501 North Interstate 35, Pflugerville, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to your favorite charity to honor John, or the Austin Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.