Walter Kimmel Holliday

Walter “Happy” Kimmel Holliday Jr, 76, of Daphne, Alabama (formerly Ramsey, IL) passed away peacefully October 25th, 2023. Happy was born on July 27th, 1947 in Jacksonville, TX to Walter and Kathleen Holliday. The Holliday family moved to their hometown of Ramsey, IL in the early 50s. Happy graduated from Ramsey HS in 1965 and attended college at SIU-Carbondale earning a bachelor's in Science. Happy enlisted in the United States Army in September 1967, attended basic training at Fort Benning, GA and was assigned to the 173rd Airborne. A proud veteran, he was stationed in Vietnam from October 1968 to September 1969. Sgt. Holliday served as platoon Sergeant and fought bravely alongside his band of brothers, keeping them safe and helped bring many of those young men home to their loved ones. He returned home and married his longtime love Rebecca Sue Cocagne on September 5th, 1970 to spend the next 53 years in a loving marriage. They would have three children, Brian, Sarah, and Greg who all spent their formative years in their hometown of Ramsey. Happy worked for Exxon Mobil in St. Elmo, IL and transferred to their operations in Mobile, AL to finish his career. In retirement, Happy, the man who never knew a stranger in his whole life, would find his true passion and joy in repairing and relacing baseball gloves for countless people all the way up to his final days. Happy is survived by his wife of 53 years, Becky Holliday of Daphne, AL, his sister June Holliday of Ramsey, IL son Brian and wife Ashley of Vandalia, IL, daughter Sarah and husband Joe Perkins of Stapleton, AL, son Greg Holliday and Stevie Giles of Pensacola, FL. Grandchildren: Quentin, his wife Jordan, and Derek Holliday of Vandalia, IL, Blake Perkins, Stapleton, AL, Emersen Giles and Riley Holliday of Pensacola, FL and his great grand baby Dylan Holliday of Vandalia, IL Services for Happy will be held at Wolfe- Bayview Funeral Home in Daphne, AL December 28th from 6pm to 8pm. He will be buried with full military rites at 10am, December 29th at the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Fort, Alabama. Happy was preceded in death by his parents, his brother George "Pidge” Holliday and many more angels on the Holliday and Cocagne sides of his family. You got those boys up that hill now get on that chopper and head home. ARRANGEMENTS BY WOLFE-BAYVIEW FUNERAL HOMES & CREMATORY, INC. 27409 US HWY 98 DAPHNE, AL (251)625-2900 www.wolfefuneralhomes.com