John MacKenzie Holt

1967 - 2016

December 21, 1967 - May 26, 2016 John Mackenzie Holt died peacefully in his sleep in the arms of his father and brother at an old Holt Ranch in Stockton, California Thursday, May 26, 2016 in the early morning. He was 48 years old. John was born in San Francisco on December 21, 1967 to a world class American and California Pioneer family. John, the great-grandson to Benjamin Holt who revolutionized the world including agriculture, continent infrastructure and job building. Benjamin Holt had hundreds of patents, named one of his son's after his friend Thomas Edison. Benjamin Holt was the inventor of the steam tractor engine, the first machined harvester and developed the first working crawler tracktype of tractor named the Caterpillar. During World War I Benjamin Holt conceived, designed and built the first tanks with tread helping end the the horrible gas trench warfare in Europe in conjunction with the British to defeat the Nazis. The company was Holt Caterpillar eventually becoming Caterpillar. John Mackenzie Holt is also a descendant of the California banking pioneer family of the Eberhardt's. Board members of Duck's Unlimited, University of Pacific's Eberhardt School of Business. The Bank of Stockton is the oldest Bank in California operating under the original charter. John was preceded in death by his mother Mary Alice Eberhardt Holt, uncles Robert MacKenzie Eberhardt and Alfred Benjamin Holt. John loved dancing with young ladies wearing his white tie in San Francisco. A true outdoorsman, John was most at home hunting, fishing, camping and horseback riding. Catching record sailfish in Mexico, duck and pheasant hunting on his ranch in Stockton, pack trips on horses in Montana, skiing in the Sierra's, Sun Valley and Aspen. Abalone diving in Northern California, scuba diving in Baja, Mexico, big tuna spearfishing, running with the bulls in Pamplona Spain, dancing in London, crossing the Atlantic on a two masted schooner "Te Vega," tarpon fly fishing in Key West. John loved Cal football attending with his mother, father, brother, nieces and the gentleman of the Zete House. He was at the Cal Stanford big game during "The Play" running onto the field with his father and mother after Cal's epic victory. John hit a hole in one at the Burlingame Country Club on the 18th green, took steams at the Olympic Club with his father, smoked cigars at the Pacific Union Club and loved playing dominoes at the Bohemian Grove. John was a man who loved life. John is survived by his father Douglas Guthrie Holt, brother Douglas Guthrie Holt Jr., sister-in-law Julie Kae Holt, niece and goddaughter Mary Shea Holt and niece to Charlotte Elizabeth Eberhardt Holt. In addition, his aunts Charlotte Anne Eberhardt, Margaret Mell Eberhardt and Mimi Dutton Eberhardt. His uncle Douglass MacKenzie Eberhardt, various Holt Eberhardt cousins including Karena Holt Woolley, Kenneth Besser, Alex Merson, Regina Merson, Joan Mel Eberhardt Snider, Mary Elizabeth Eberhardt Sandstrom and Douglass MacKenzie Eberhardt II. John was interred next to his mother near the Holt Mausoleum at the Stockton Rural Cemetery on Thursday, June 2, 2016 in a private ceremony attended by family and closest friends. Any contributions should be made on behalf of John MacKenzie Holt to the Holt Caterpillar Wing at the Haggin Museum, 1201 N. Pershing Ave., Stockton, CA 95203 (209) 940-6300.