Dennis E. Holbert

Dennis E. Holbert, 83
Key West, FL
May 23, 1939 – June 29, 2022
Dennis E. Holbert, age 83, of Key West, FL died on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at the St. Cloud Hospital.
A Memorial Service for Dennis Holbert will be at 2:00PM on Saturday, August 6, 2022 at Faith Lutheran Church, Isle, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at church. Burial will be in the Foster Cemetery, Cove, MN, followed by a celebration of life at Izatys Ballroom. Arrangements are with Benson Funeral Home, St. Cloud, MN.
Dennis Earl Holbert was born on May 23, 1939 in Isle, MN to Ben and Orphie (Wilkes) Holbert. He was active in sports growing up and graduated from Isle High School with his beloved "class of 57". He is considered an all time Isle basketball star, held a school record for over 50 years and took Isle High to tournament success.
Dennis was in the Milaca National Guard in High School from his sophomore to senior years. After high school he hitchhiked to California with $30 in his pocket to join friends and work at Royal Aircraft Manufacturing. On Dec 1, 1959 he volunteered for the draft. He trained in heavy artillery at Ft. Ord, CA. He then entered the 15th Calvary and was stationed in Germany during the Cold War as a tank driver. He also played basketball for the 15th Cav Lions.
After his time in the military he drove 18 wheel trucks across the country and went up to the northwest angle for ricing with the native americans. Dennis went to college at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, WI, where he played basketball and graduated with a Business Arts Degree. While in College he drove school bus, which he enjoyed immensely.
Dennis had a tremendously successful and uniquely "American" business career. Building a dominant polyurethane foam chemical systems house from scratch into a company that was sold in 2004 to BASF, the largest chemical company in the world. He succeeded where so many others did not, primarily through an emphasis on sales and service. The business was grounded upon his gregarious personality and genuine love of people. The people he worked with in his company, the people in his industry, vendors, customers, and even competitors. Dennis gave much of the credit for his success and model for his own company to Graco, a Minnesota manufacturer of pumping equipment. He joined Graco as a salesman in the late 60's. Dennis adopted the Graco pumping technology to, a then relatively new business, urethane foam plastic insulation. Dennis left Graco for a distributor, Empro. Dennis and many of the core coworkers left Empro in 1976 form and create a new company, Foam Enterprises, Inc. located in Plymouth, MN and later a 2nd plant in Houston, TX. Those who worked with him liked and trusted him. Employees, suppliers, and associates continued to keep in contact with him because of his special quality as a person and his interest and fairness to all. His daughter, Aliesha, adored him and is thankful that he was her dad and she was, as he called her his "darling daughter"
Dennis is survived by his wife, Melinda of Key West, FL; daughter, Aliesha Holbert of Isle, MN; grandchildren, Corbin Carlos and Amanda Carlos; brother, Greg Lang; niece, Natasha (Robert) Praught; niece, Cassandra (Scott) Gullicks and her children, Brom and Rose Gullicks; niece, Lindsey (John) Blake and her children, Alden, Bailey Mae and Greta Blake; sister, Melissa Olson; niece, Mara Olson; brother, Brock (Nicole) Holbert; niece, Kierra Holbert; nephew, Ben Holbert; brother-in-law, John Mitchell; niece, Megan Mitchell; sister-in-law, Jenny (John) Ryshavy; step-mother, Shirley (Butch) Sutton; mother-in-law, Ruth Albright; and sister-in-law, Debra Corwin.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ben Holbert, Orphie and Kenny Lang; sister, Berri Mitchell; sister-in-law, Victoria Lang; brother-in-law, Dale Corwin; father-in-law, Guy Albright.