Mr. Coy Marshall Holcomb Sr., of Ball Ground, died, March 1, 2010. He was 90.
Holcomb was a Ball Ground native and served as the town’s postmaster for 35 years, retiring from the U.S. Postal Service after 42 years. After retirement, he worked at Advance Security of Georgia Marble Company for 17 years. He also served as the Ball Ground city clerk for a short time.
Current Ball Ground City Clerk Karen Jordan remembers Holcomb as always having “a smile on his face.”
“He always said hello and always wanted to shake your hand,” she said.
He retired from the post office after He was born April 16, 1919, in Ball Ground to Earby Wyatt and Flossie Ridings Holcomb. Holcomb was the eldest of seven children, and he graduated from Canton High School in 1936. His youngest son, Ashley Holcomb, of Ball Ground, said his father was able to go to high school in Canton, because his Uncle Jim Holcomb, the county commissioner, drove there every day.
At the time Coy Holcomb grew up in Ball Ground, his son said, the town was a bustling place. There was a bank, a Coca-Cola bottling plant, a Ford dealership and many businesses related to the marble industry. Holcomb delivered newspapers to make money as a youngster, and his first job was at the town bank.
Holcomb served in World War II as an Army Sergeant, Headquarters Company 2nd Battalion 594th Engineer Boat & Shore Regiment, Pacific Theater through Jan. 1, 1946, and received decorations and citations. He taught Sunday School to other soldiers while overseas during the war.
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Coy and Ernestine Holcomb are pictured on their wedding day, in 1956.
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Holcomb and his wife, the former Ernestine Caylor, recently celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary. He met his wife when she was singing with her sisters in the Caylor Quartet. The family belonged to Conns Creek Baptist Church.
His hobbies included bird-watching and showing bantam chickens.
“A favorite memory of mine when I was little is when the county fair came to town in Canton,” Ashley Holcomb said. “My dad and I, along with usually few more of us kids, would haul ‘show’ bantams for several days in, and on top of, our family station wagon.”
Ashley, 36, also recalls great times with his father while he was in the boy scouts and his dad was in his 60s, but joined him for activities such as rappelling on the side of a mountain and whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River.
Coy Holcomb was preceded in death by his infant sons, Rhett and Jeremy Holcomb.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Ernestine Caylor Holcomb; children, Cheryl Hancock, of Canton, Melody (Rev. Alan) Day, of Ball Ground, Coy Marshall Jr. (Hilda Grace) Holcomb, of Free Home, Yvette (Dr. Bob) Eddy, of Macedonia, Wyatt (Michelle) Holcomb, of Ball Ground, Eric (Tracey) Holcomb, of Ball Ground, April (Jay) Hamby, of Hickory Flat, Holly (Tim) Trammell, of Woodstock, Edie (Karl) Koller, of Ball Ground, and Ashley (Jenny) Holcomb, of Ball Ground; sister, Hazel Wyatt, of Atlanta; grandchildren, Whitney and Andrew Hancock, Brett Day, Rhett (Gail) Day, Emily and Kyle Holcomb, Aaron and Grant Eddy, Emma, Elise and Ellie Holcomb, Hayden, Bryan and Lilly Holcomb, Chandler and Chase Hamby, Ashton Henson, Mason and Karli Koller, and Ridings, Justice, Bowen, Carsten and Bella Jane Holcomb.
Funeral services were held March 4, 2010, at Sharp Mountain Baptist Church, with the Rev. Alan Day, the Rev. Horace Richards and the Rev. Greg Hamilton officiating. Burial followed in the Georgia National Cemetery.
Sosebee Funeral Home, of Canton, was in charge of arrangements.
