ARCADIA–For many, the name June might simply be a month of the year or a loud bug that sits in the trees as fall approaches. For those in the rodeo world however, June is the name of a woman who threw caution to the wind and never let her passions be stopped by her age.
June Holeman was born on June 11, 1943 and was raised on a ranch west of Arcadia. Her passion for horses started when she was young riding her horse all over the ranch and even to town for ice cream. June married the love of her life Donnell C. Holeman in August of 1961. Their marriage was blessed with three children, Donnell, Teresa, and Tammy. Tammy passed away prior to June’s death in 2009. June was a homemaker who loved cooking, gardening, and canning.
When not at home, June and her husband could be found on the road at numerous rodeos. June was very successful on the rodeo circuit winning numerous NCRA, NSRA, and M-SRA championships from the 1960’s to 2018. June won several Prairie Circuit Championships and qualified for the NFR in 2005. In an article posted by the North Platte Telegraph, June was the oldest to qualify for the NFR and ended up finishing 12th, earning herself $77,246.
Even as her age began to catch up to her, June never stopped pushing herself and others. She loved the rodeo and the people that competed every day. To view the obituary in its entirety please click here.
