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Sun Apr 12, 2015 8:06 pm

We will be there in an old VW of some sort! Wouldn't miss it for anything!

Bill & Kathryn Bowman

Sun Apr 12, 2015 9:57 pm

....I am so sorry to hear this news. This weekend at the Kelley Park venues just won't be the same...RIP....

Mon Apr 13, 2015 3:22 am

Didn't know Brian but my thoughts go to his family and friends. Rest in peace Sir.

Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:06 am

Rest in peace Brian

Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:15 am

Sorry to hear that.

I'm not sure I ever met him but I know I saw him at a couple shows in the past and know he helped out a bunch of people on the site in the past.

RIP.

Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:34 am

On the way to BB 2005 we developed motor problems ... 1600 suddenly couldn't make it to 50mph going down hill with a 45mph tailwind.
Brian helped us.

Mon Apr 13, 2015 1:36 pm

Brian Holcomb was a one of a kind !A friend like no other. ALWAYS willing and ABLE to help a fellow vwduber. A huge loss to the VW community as a wealth of knowledge is gone and a man like no other. I will miss him everyday. The Der Busbesitzer Gruppe will never be the same without him, giving us shit for a leaking muffler, or a badge out of place, he kept us all on our toes, to say the least... :) A very very sad sad loss.
I loved him like a brother.
Cheers to Brian, ( Hamm's in hand and a stogie in the other )
woody

I rarely post on the samba, but this was imperative to me.

Mon Apr 13, 2015 2:38 pm

I've been going through a few photos to gather for the memorial service in a few weeks from now, and man, do some of those photos make me smile! He was so fun to hang out with! If you ate a meal at a restaurant, he ate fast, and if you dawdled and were slow, he might get up, pay his bill and leave for the next thing if he could. If you're VW broke or acted up, he was the man to grab. A quick diagnosis, and then the tools were flyin'! At our BNNTA campouts, my hidden slogan for the event was that it wasn't really an event until someone's motor was out on a picnic table getting tweaked on, usually with Crusty in the middle of the action or at least advising. He didn't "suffer fools" very well. I've had the honor of staying with the Holcomb family almost everytime I headed north to attend a DBG gathering, and what fun!

Here's a few more shots I have of him...

Brian helping and coaching Tom Janiszewski as they tear down my unused "exchange" 36hp motor to check out the condition of the interior before re-assembly. That was Tom's first work on a 36hp engine.

"Crusty" got a kick out of playing with my 1956 Ziegler Fire department water pump powered by a very low-hour 36hp engine. I was having intermittent issues with the magneto, and that was just the challenge Brian needed to dive in.

Always one to show off his stunning physique at a seconds notice... especially if a camera appears.

Here he is properly "initiating" new DBG member Bob Van Heyst from BBT, by suiting Bob up in the DBG "cow suit" and inspecting for proper fit at the 2012 Funfest event....

Bill

Mon Apr 13, 2015 4:44 pm

First time posting photos here, so I hope this works. Photos taken while Brian, Carson, Bill and I went to Germany in 2013 for the Hessisch-Oldendorf meet.

Mon Apr 13, 2015 7:50 pm

Nice "first-time" effort on those photos Tom! Great choices too.

Please take no offense when DBG members smile and send you the finger, it's their official DBG salute! They are not angry, it's like they're saying "good to see you, now bring me another brew please"!

So likely captions:

The DBG salute from the long ago ex-Koch stretch limo.

Pop and son at BBT with Carson behind the wheel of Bob's son's go-kart.

Brian's looking into that new car engine compartment and he's thinkin' "how the F#%! am I gonna get my hands into there to wrench on that someday"?

Brian working on the window rubber on the Indonesia-bound Hebmueller.

Crusty helping Ray Shubert sort out the Kubelwagen wiring in a light shower.

I can't believe Crusty got into that Transporter go-kart!

Crusty presented BBT Bob with his very own "DBG cow suit" just in case he wanted to recruit more European DBG members and initiate them.

And all of those great French VW enthusiasts in the "flip-off" shot at the European Bug-In were great guys! They plied us with many of their Duvel and Juplier Belgian brews. They had cases and cases in each of their Buses! And like us, they quickly grew to love our "Crusty"!

Thankfully no serious international incidents occurred during our two weeks in Europe, although both "Crusty" and BBT Bob bare-assed the E.B.I. crowds on Saturday night, "Crusty" from on top of a big tractor!

What a great Father/son Euro VW vacation they got to have together just a year and a half ago.

Bill

Mon Apr 13, 2015 10:13 pm

Bill,
We all knew this sad day might happen. When I found out, it didn't make the pain of losing a very good guy to the ages any less painful. Great photos from your collection. The picture of Brian in his Gene Berg shirt-certainly one of many he had. It brings back old memories for me this year. We approach the 20th Anniversary of Gene's passing in January 1996. The Golden Gate VVW Club Kelley Park show next weekend-a favorite of Brian over the years. And now Brian's passing.

I can remember, Bill, calling Brian up (he was the Wisconsin rep for the Vintage VW Club of America at the time) and telling him about the Berg Memorial Cruise that our group was planning in spring, 1996. He thought we were crazy and out of our minds. First Salt Lake then Lincoln then Milwaukee then Michigan.

Oh the memories of Brian and the Holcomb family-I don't think any of us laughed harder in our lives. The festival at the dealership in Milwaukee-driving the interstate to Michigan-A great time for all of us with a great guy and his family. Before we left to return to the West Coast, Brian and I went out for a drive in the Berglar. I tossed him the keys and said lets go-and we did on the back roads near the Holcomb home!! It was great!! A memory that I will not ever forget.

I don't think a book could be written that would adequately depict the personality of Brian Holcomb. As the day is long, there is not sufficient time to tell the tales of Brian. We all shall miss him every day of the rest of our lives. Brian and Dawn are now holding hands-and Brian has a wrench in his other hand.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Holcomb family, Connie and Carolyn, and to Carson. We remember and miss you Brian-we always will-You have touched all of us in a very special way.

Rick Zavala

Tue Apr 14, 2015 7:56 am

My condolences to all that knew him.
Judging by the pics posted, he looked like the type of VW pal that many would have loved and respected. Fun loving and a great with a wrench.
May he live on in fond memories and great stories for years to come
RIP

Tue Apr 14, 2015 10:56 am

Dear God I'm going to miss him. BNNTA will never be the same without Brian. RIP buddy.

Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:14 am

i did not know Brian but every life is a big lost, my condolences to his wife and son, may God give strength to his love ones to go thru this hard times.

Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:31 am

His wife passed away suddenly two years ago. His son has a large support group around him.

Tue Apr 14, 2015 9:25 pm

I am deeply saddened about Brian's passing as well as his wife Dawn a few years ago.
I still remember first meeting with Brian back in May 1996 for the Gene Berg Memorial Cruise flying into Chicago and waiting for the Berg family to arrive as well.

I think the following morning, I rode with Brian Holcomb in his '60 Single Cab and with Gary Berg to Rockford, IL. I remember Brian been saying he's been trying to blow up the bastard engine (40-horse) on his single cab, pedal floored and the speedo needle pegged straight down and the engine wouldn't die.
After arriving into Rockford, Brian had to stay with Gary Berg and two friends from AZ in their 2-Liter Cal Look Beetles so he can give directions back to Wisconsin, and Brian asked me to drive his single cab back home.

Brian was quite a character with a great sense of humor, a down-to-earth guy.

I also remember him coming out for his first California show which of course was our San Jose Kelley Park show weekend and was going through the BYOB (Bring Your Own Bus) show at Red Barn, he said he couldn't stop buying trinkets of parts he couldn't find from the Midwest region he lived in.

Just a lot of fond memories.

Condolences to the Holcomb family and especially his son Carson.

Wed Apr 15, 2015 5:40 am

...and another classic shot:

rest easy buddy! Say hi to Dawn for all of us!

Bill

Wed Apr 15, 2015 6:20 am

R.I.P. Brian, I will always remember you and your funny way, My deepest sympathy to the Holcomb family.

Like Jim above I met Brian on the 1997 Berg cruse.. such a great family.

Then again at Kelly Park.. when Brian was dressed in a set of cruddy Coverall's "the farmer kind", It was time for dinner at the hotel and he turned away to go get dressed for dinner and showed up in a new set of Farmer Coverall"s.

Always a fun guy.

Art Thraen

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1336935.jpg

Wed Apr 15, 2015 8:57 am

Rest in Peace Brian. Thank you for your friendship and hospitality, wish we would have known you longer, you are a hero of our sport and are an instant lock for the hall of fame. God speed from Allyson and I.

Wed Apr 15, 2015 4:59 pm

Imet Brian a long time ago, have been to his and Connie's home, driven the Crusty Bus, Connie's '54, and rode in their early Dodge, I think, Touring car. I would see him in Ohio, Wisconsin, Kelley Park, pretty much all over. While I can't say I knew him well, I knew him well eough...Rest In Peace, Brian, you will be missed.

This really HURTS. :(