Bobby Glenn Holden, M.D.

Bobby Glenn Holden, M.D., peacefully passed away Sunday, November 6, 2016, in Richmond, Virginia. A memorial service will take place Monday, November 14, 2016, 3:00 p.m., at Christ and Grace Episcopal Church, Petersburg, Virginia, with a reception to follow in the parish hall. Born in Union Star, Missouri on July 19, 1930, Bob was the son of the late George DeWitt Holden and Maud Esther Bigbee. He grew up in Granite, Oklahoma and later moved to Georgetown, District of Columbia, and then to the family farm in Loudoun County, which later was to become part of the Dulles Airport campus. He lived on another family farm in Montgomery County, Maryland and graduated from Richard Montgomery High School in 1947. He attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University), before entering the United States Navy and attending the Naval Academy Preparatory School. He subsequently attended pharmacy school at the Medical College of Virginia and graduated from the University of Richmond in 1953 with a degree in psychology. On December 22, 1953, he married Lillian Estelle Moore in Hopewell. He received a Regular Army Commission and was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and was later transferred to the port of Whittier, Alaska. Bob resigned his Commission to attend medical school and graduated from the Medical College of Virginia in 1962. He did a rotating internship at Petersburg General Hospital and began practicing family medicine in Petersburg with Rufus Warren in 1963. He regarded his staff as family and his patients as friends. Following the close of his practice in 1993, he continued to work as a physician with Prime Care Specialists and with Stony Creek Community Health Center.
Bob was involved in his community from a young age, working as a counselor at the Richmond Boys Home while attending the University of Richmond. In Petersburg, he attended Christ and Grace Episcopal Church, where he served on the vestry and sang in the choir. He served as President of Petersburg Country Club and was an active member of the tennis community. He was also a founding director of The Community Bank. Bob was a lifelong learner and pursued a wide variety of interests. He had a passion for studying music theory and enjoyed many instruments, including piano, guitar, harmonica, and stand-up bass. His love of nature led him to research and care for a wide variety of birds. He even farmed his own oysters and shiitake mushrooms. He spent endless hours in his woodworking shop making beautiful creations and gifts. Through sharing these interests, he has left a legacy that will live on through his family, especially his grandchildren. He was never happier than when gathered with family during holidays around the piano, plucking his washtub base and leading the tenor harmony, or when holding court at his cottage while watching the sun set over the Rappahannock River. For all of his personal and professional accomplishments, Bob is perhaps best remembered as being a teacher and problem solver. He had a gift for explaining complex medical concepts in easy to understand terms, providing support for numerous family members, friends and patients along the way.
Bob is survived by his loving family: his wife, Lillian Estelle Moore Holden, of Petersburg; his son, Jeffrey Glenn Holden of Sussex and his son, Edmund Ruffin Holden; his son John Conway Holden and his wife, Nancy of Disputanta, and their sons, Robert Holden and his wife, Lacey of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Bobby Glenn Holden II, and his wife, Shelby of Huntsville, Alabama; his son, Christopher Hunter Holden, his wife, Margaret (Meg), and their daughters, Mary Margaret Whitmore Holden, Charlotte Hilliard Holden, and Elizabeth Hunter Holden, all of Charlottesville; his daughter, Lisbeth Whitmore Holden Wilson, her husband, Andrew (Drew), and their sons, Andrew Harrison Downes Wilson, Jr. and Holden Frederick Moore Wilson, all of Richmond; his brother, James Donald Holden of Richmond and his wife, Betsy, and their children; and his nieces and nephews, James Donald Holden, Jr., Mary Katherine Woodward, and Elizabeth Watson Andrews. He was preceded in death by his brother, Forrest DeWitt Holden, and his sister, Mary Kathryn (Kay) Berryman. He is survived by Kay’s children, Marsha Lynn Trout, Ginger Thornton Reichner, and Douglas Lee Berryman. He is also survived by numerous other relatives and friends. We will all cherish his memory forever, as we seek to carry on his caring spirit and desire to help others. In lieu of flowers, you may send donations in Bob’s memory to the outreach program at Christ and Grace Episcopal Church, 1545 South Sycamore Street, Petersburg, Virginia 23805.