Gordon Ernest Holcomb

Gordon Ernest Holcomb passed away peacefully at his home in Baton Rouge on Friday, January 30, 2026. He was born on July 6, 1932, to Ernest Holcomb Jr. and Florence (Henneman) Holcomb in Monroe, Wisconsin. He grew up on a dairy farm in Washington Township, Green County and received his elementary education in a one-room country school—all with the same teacher. Gordon graduated from Monticello High School in 1950 and attended Platteville State Teachers College for one year.

He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War in 1951 and trained as an aircraft radio technician at Scott Field in Illinois. He then worked on B-29 and B-47 heavy bombers at Strategic Air Command bases in Georgia and Kansas, served one year in Korea after the 1953 armistice and was released from active duty in September 1955. During his time at Smoky Hill Air Force Base in Kansas, he joined the newly organized Strategic Air Command Aero Club and was the first to solo as a student pilot. He returned to college and received a B.S. degree in 1959 from what is now known as the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a Ph.D. degree in plant pathology in 1965 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Gordon met Alice H. Duff in 1963 while she was working as a registered nurse at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and they were married on January 25, 1964. They moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in October 1965 where Gordon began a 41-year career of research and teaching at Louisiana State University. His work on diseases of ornamental plants and turfgrasses lead to the discovery of many new diseases, new host-pathogen records, the discovery and description of a new fungus species and over 300 publications. During his professional career, he was listed in several Who’s Who Publications and was a member of the American Phytopathological Society and its Southern Division, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Institute of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Plant Pathology Association, Louisiana Academy of Sciences, and Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honorary Society. He retired in 2006 as professor emeritus of plant pathology but continued to review papers for scientific journals for more than 16 years afterward. He enjoyed gardening, botanizing, reading, raising little green tree frogs, birding, and participating in Project FeederWatch. He was a certified volunteer for FrogWatch USA, and he and Alice enjoyed visiting local ponds to identify frog and toad species. He also became a volunteer observer for Firefly Watch. Gordon was proud to have added the names of over 8000 World War II veterans to the online national WWII Memorial Registry. He also participated in Operation Upgrade and Volunteers in Public Schools as a reading tutor.

Gordon is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Alice H. (Duff) Holcomb; daughters, Janette L. Holcomb and Amy F. Holcomb. He was preceded in death by his father Ernest Holcomb, Jr., stepfather Henry C. Hefty, mother Florence Hefty, cousin Helen M. Rowland, who was raised with him, and many of his 37 first cousins.

The family wishes to express their gratitude to the team at The Hospice of Baton Rouge, as well as his kind and compassionate caregivers: Marilyn Beal, Brenda Bates, Doris Smith, and Terri for providing peace to Gordon and his family during his final days. The family would also like to convey appreciation to doctors: Kevin J. Callerame, MD; Kenneth Charles Civello, Jr., MD; and Donald Veron Brignac, MD.

A committal graveside service will be held at Louisiana National Cemetery, located at 303 W. Mount Pleasant Road, Zachary, Louisiana, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM, where Gordon’s ashes will be interred. All those who wish to remember Gordon are invited to attend the memorial.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation in Gordon’s memory. Please consider donating to a food bank, library, or The Hospice of Baton Rouge.

Online condolences may be made at ChurchFuneralServices.com.