William H. Holden

William H. "Bill" Holden, 78, passed away peacefully at Village House Nursing Home in Newport, RI., on January 7, 2018, after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer's Disease. He was the beloved husband of June (Halliday) Holden for 26 years. Born in Hartford, CT, he was the son of the late Francis W. and Beatrice (Hamilton) Holden.Bill grew up in Wethersfield, CT and spent many happy summers at the family homestead in Casco, ME. He graduated from Wethersfield High School in 1957 and earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Lehigh University in 1961. Bill was a member of Chi Psi fraternity. During his years at Lehigh, Bill played varsity soccer as a center forward and broke the record for the most goals scored by a player in the University's history.After graduation, Bill was employed by the New England Telephone Company. He retired from a 40 year career in telecommunications. His last postion was Sales Manager at Verizon in Marlboro, MA.He was an active and adventurist spirit. As an active mountain climber, he topped most of the 4,000 foot and over peaks in New Hampshire and Mt. Katahdin in Maine, as well as Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States at an elevation of 14, 505 feet. Climbing El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park was another high point in his life. This outdoorsman enjoyed cross country skiing in Europe, downhill skiing, sailing, canoeing, camping and cycling throughout New England and the islands. Bill was a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Randolph Mountain Club, and his love of music was well known to everyone at Village House.After his retirement, Bill loved gardening with his wife, building stone walls, and long walkswith his loyal Westie, Fraser.Besides his wife, he is survived by his sister and three sons.A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, February 3, 2018, at 10:00am, at. St. Mark Chruch, 60 Narrangansett Avenue, Jamestown, RI. Calling hours are respectfully omitted and burial will be private.In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill's memory may be made to the Village House Activity Fund, 70 Harrison Avenue, Newport, RI 02840. Cemetery Details St. Columba Catholic Cemetery Brown's Lane Middletown, RI, 02842 Mass of Christian Burial FEB 3. 10:00 AM St. Mark Church 60 Narragansett Avenue Jamestown, RI, US