John Murray

Holderman

John Murray Holderman, 94, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, passed away on November 4, 2026 surrounded by his family.

He was born on March 14, 1932, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to John Warren Holderman and Viola Mae (Burris) Holderman. He was the youngest of eight children, four brothers and three sisters. Born in a house on Route 66, John was a lifelong Tulsan. He attended Woodrow Wilson Junior High School and graduated from Will Rogers High School.

Thereafter, John proudly served in the United States Navy. Following his service, he married Clara Marie Kobbeman on December 23, 1954, in Lincoln, Kansas, and the couple settled in Tulsa to build their life together.

John attended the University of Tulsa, graduating in 1958. He went on to build a successful career, working for Sears and Roebuck, General Paint, and Sinclair Oil, before joining and eventually retiring from the Tulsa Public School System.

John and Clara had a wonderful life and were married for 70 years. They spent many years clogging, square dancing and taking annual trips with a large group of lifelong friends.

John especially enjoyed watching his kids and grandkids compete in sports and he spent many years having fun with his family at Ft. Gibson Lake at the family cabin. He especially enjoyed competing in the family croquet tournaments and wiffleball games that he and Clara organized and hosted at the family home that he built himself on 29th Street.

More than anything, John was a man of unconditional love for his family - it was the center of everything he did and everything he was.

He is survived by his four children: John Murray Holderman II and his wife Rosemary, Joseph Harvey Holderman, Ruth Marie Grosserode and her husband Mark, George Eugene Holderman and his wife Deidra; his grandchildren: John (JL) Holderman, Ashley Sides, Drake Holderman, Chase Holderman, Jenna Holderman; and ten great-grandchildren; Wyatt, Tex, Birdie, June, Willie, Claire, Murphy, Lily, Rosie and Josephine.

A memorial service will be held November 28 at 11:00 AM at Moore's Southlawn Chapel. John and Clara will be interred at 09:30, that same morning, at Memorial Park Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Saint Francis Health System Hospice or the Tulsa VFW Post 577.

St. Francis Hospice: https://www.saintfrancis.com/services/hospice

Tulsa VFW Post 557: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-the-tulsa-vfw

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