Dec. 17, 1948 – June 27, 2026
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Ira Bruce Holst, 77, passed away Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Clarkston, after a hard-fought battle of heart and kidney failure.
Born Dec. 17, 1948, in San Francisco, to Ira Christian Holst and Elenor Billmayer Holst. He was raised in San Francisco, Pasadena and Granada Hills, Calif., before moving to Wantagh, N.Y., in high school.
Ira earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Pratt Institute in New York in 1971. While attending college, he worked as a sound engineer for the campus radio station and area concert halls.
Following graduation, he worked in nuclear physics as a scientist and lead researcher for NASA. He later pursued a diverse career, opening Singer Sewing Machine stores in Moscow and Lewiston, and becoming the first Apple computer dealer in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley as the I in B&I Computers.
Involved in the early development of the jet boat industry in the Pacific Northwest, working with Redline Ford marine engines and Hamilton Jet pumps, he contributed to the expansion of high-performance jet boating throughout Hells Canyon, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. He later helped bring early T-1 and microwave internet service to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley through HIBEK Internet.
Ira was a pilot, owning his own aircraft and co-ownership of a helicopter with a family member. But airplanes were not his first love. Racing the Lewiston Speedway, Meridian Speedway and others in the area, he took the finish line in too many short track stock car races to count in his little Datsun. Married to Cheryl McCain in 1979, ending in divorce in 2001.
Over the course of his career, he was a Fellow of Rotary International and served on the board supporting the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Air Posse, just to name a few.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and two longtime companions, Christi Sheeler (December 2016) and Christine Atkinson (April 2024).
He is survived by his daughters, Breanne Stoneman and Erin Holst; his sister, Kay Holst McCracken, of Lake Havasu City, Ariz.; his granddaughters, Megan Stamey and her husband Logan Stamey, and Sydney Stoneman; his grandson, Ethan Steppe; his longtime companion, Marlena Smith; and his lifelong friend, Jim Hickam.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m., Friday, July 24, at Malcom’s Brower-Wann Funeral Home, 1711 18th St., Lewiston.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Estate of Ira B Holst, C/O Lewis Clark Credit Union, 604 Bryden Ave., Lewiston, ID 83501.
Service Information
- Date & Time
- Friday, July 24, 3:00 PM
- Location
-
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1711 18th Street
Lewiston, ID 83501
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