Jerry Holbert

Jerry E. Holbert, son of the late Nelson "Skinny" Holbert and Alba Jones Holbert, was born July 3, 1946.

Survivors include his wife, Pat Hubbard Holbert and step-daughter, Dawn Hubbard, of Wood River, Ill.; one setp-son and daughter-in-law, Jason and Deana Holbert, of Wentzville, Mo.; one step-son and family, Rob, Laura, Mitchell and Nolan Royse, of Wood River, Ill.; one sister and family, Joyce and Bill Anderson, of Senath, Mo., and Derek Anderson, of Columbus, Miss.

He attended the Bethalto Methodist Church and was a member of the Moose Lodge. Jerry was an avid golfer and a Mizzou fan. He graduated in 1964 from Deering High School in Deering, Mo.

Holbert, 63, senior vice-president of operations, National Maintenance & Repair Inc., Hartford, Ill., died Sunday Dec. 13, 2009, of complications from cancer at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.

He began his career in the river industry in 1970 as a surveyor for Cairo Marine Service after serving in Vietnam with the U.S. Army. He joined National Maintenance & Repair (then National Marine Service) in 1977 as senior estimator in the hull repair group, was promoted to vice-president of hull repairs in 1977, and was named to his most recent position in 2001.

Holbert was a member of the St. Louis Propeller Club and East Side Industrial Rivermen's Association. He was a past member of the National Association of Marine Surveyors.

Barry Gipson, president of National Maintenance & Repair, a subsidiary of McGinnis Inc., said he was one of the most respected and likable managers in the shipyard repair business. "He was a great friend and dedicated employee," he said.