Burnam Kirk Holman Jr

Burnam Kirk Holman, Jr.
November 9, 1942 – October 4, 2026

Burnam Kirk Holman lived a life defined by adventure, service, curiosity, and a never ending search for knowledge and learning.

He was Master of Land, Sea, Air, and Space.

Born on November 9, 1942, Burnam treasured the time he spent on his family’s ranch in Del Rio, Texas. Those early years helped shape the man he would become: independent, capable, adventurous, and never afraid to take on something new.

Hey was a rancher, rodeo cowboy, and pilot. He went on to veterinary school, then to the US Marine Corps. He served during the Vietnam era and was a member of Force Reconnaissance. The discipline, courage, and self-reliance of a Marine remained part of him throughout his life.

But Burnam was never a man meant to experience the world from behind a desk. He purchased a bait stand and shrimping boat, the siren the Red Dog was where he started his family. 😎

Of all the titles he carried, however, one of the most important was Papa Kirk or Dad.

Papa Kirk was a loving father and leaves behind a family that will continue to carry his story forward. He leaves behind more than a list of accomplishments. He leaves behind stories from a life spent exploring the world, serving his country, chasing horizons, and refusing to live an ordinary life. To anyone who was watching, he showed us how to be Captain of his own ship.

His faith in God, strengthened during his years practicing the Bahá’í Faith, shaped the way he lived and the way he treated others. It inspired his love for people, his patience, and his willingness to approach life with an open mind and an open heart.


He is preceded in death by his father and mother Bunkie and Jaqueline Holman, uncle Brurke Holman sister Lyn Clark Holman, nephew Matthew Edward Copeland and son Terrell Lion Holman.
He is survived by his four children, Laura Holman, Natt Holman, Josh Tabor, and Paul Catalino; his niece Cynthia Marie Copeland Tatum and her children Nicholas Bryan Patrick Bryan and Natalie Bryan, his 12 grandchildren; Alexis Abrigo, Tryston Abrigo, Rhea Lewis, Breanna Holman, and his two great-grandchildren, Luca and Ace

Fair winds and following seas, Marine.
Bon Voyage, Capt’