Memorial Rite to Be Held Saturday for Ventura Newsman Bob Holt

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday for Bob Holt, a longtime Ventura newspaper reporter and columnist.

Holt, 69, died Friday of a heart attack.

During a 38-year career at the Ventura County Star-Free Press, Holt covered beats ranging from sports to courts, but was probably best known for his folksy columns, often steeped in county history.

He continued writing a regular column for the paper from the time of his official retirement in 1983 until his death.

“Bob Holt is irreplaceable,” said Stan Whisenhunt, managing editor of the Star-Free Press. “He was a professional, a leader, a counselor and, more than that, he was a friend to everyone who ever passed through here. No matter how little time you had been here, you felt close to Bob Holt.”

Holt was born May 11, 1918, near Ekalaka, Mont. A graduate of the University of Montana, he started his newspaper career at the Montana Standard in Butte.

After serving in the Army during World War II, Holt moved to Southern California with his wife, Lois.

He worked for several newspapers in the region, and landed his job with the Star-Free Press in 1949. While at that paper he was also a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times.

Besides his wife, he is survived by daughters Debby Larkin of Ramona and Betsey Holt of Ventura.

The memorial service will be held at the Charles Carroll Funeral Home, 15 Teloma Drive in Ventura.