Richard Lee Holderby

This biography was created to provide a historical representation of the life of Richard Lee Holderby. It was written with love by his family, whose continued love will allow his memory and legacy to live on. 

Born in Sacramento on April 20, 1986, Richard, better known to everyone as “Richie”, began his journey through life. Richie was the youngest son of Terry and Marjene. He grew up most of his young life in Citrus Heights, CA along with time spent in Alabama. Richie belonged to a large loving family including step-parents, siblings, grandparents, and an extensive extended family.

Notably, he was always the jokester; making everyone around him laugh with his humor and bright sense of spirit. He was one of the most caring humans anyone could ever meet. If you knew Rich, you knew you could find him gaming; video games, board games, and card games. He was great at all of them and won most of the time.

During his time in Alabama Richie loved fishing with his Dad. One time Terry and Richie were out fishing by the spillway and they were approached by a Ranger. They knew they had been caught fishing without a license that is, but the Ranger was nice and let them go. Richie also loved his Dalmatian mix Pepper, Richie was always able to escape the duty of pulling ticks off of him.

At the age of 14 on August 11th, 2000, Richard was diagnosed with ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia), and he made the brave decision to undergo chemotherapy. After a long battle including developing a fungal infection in his sinus cavity, losing his right eye, and a bone marrow transplant conducted with his older brother Brandon, he fought his way into remission. Richie was always a fighter, taking on whatever he needed to, ensuring himself many more years of his life.

With a new lease on life Richie began really living it. He went sky diving, took trips to explore the world, started working for the State of California’s Department of Corrections, and bought his first home. As he aged, Richie also became a wonderful Uncle and found love with his beautiful Fiancé, Hien.

Richie was an advocate for education, and he continued this advocacy throughout his years.

His most notable accomplishments include:

An Associate Degree in SQL and Database Management
Multiple college certifications including A+ certified
Member of the Phi Theta Kappa

We would like to share with you some of Richie’s qualities.

Friendliness - No matter where he was people always wanted to talk to him. He was always friendly and approachable like that. Richie didn’t like people to stare, especially children.  The funny guy that he was, he always gave them a good, “argghh, matey!!!”  They always thought he was a pirate.

Heroic – Richie always wanted to help, which meant running into danger if need be.

Funny - Always the jokester. From hiding the garden gnome, making Hien think he was walking around the backyard, to randomly hiding a ghost around the house during Halloween. Richie always made it fun.

Smart - Richie was so smart. The smartest person in the room.  Every time he would say, “I’m done with school”, he would go right back. He just kept earning certificates. He always made everyone so proud of him reaching for a higher education.

Richie was so caring. Things that seemed so mundane such as waking up in the morning to go to work, would turn into Richie tucking Hien into bed before he left for work. At one point Richie and Hien both worked remotely at home. He would pick Hien a flower from the garden and randomly give it to her while she worked.

Richie and Hien always talked about his dream job. He wanted to be an astronaut. He loved space and science. Since being an astronaut wasn’t really possible, he wanted to be a train conductor as he loved trains. His most possible dream job was to be a video game programmer. He loved playing video games and wanted to eventually design his own.

Richie loved science and actually bought tickets to visit the California Academy of Sciences. The exhibit he looked forward to most, was the show they put on in the planetarium section of the building. Hien would fall asleep, while Richie would be amazed about how big the universe was. It was his favorite part.

Richie was the kind of person who loved his family, friends and coworkers. He loved his puns and being a jokester. Every Saturday morning, you could find him sleeping in; enjoying an easy day. Richie and Hien would tell each other random things and daydream about hypothetical situations. He loved a good pizza and a cold beer. Pizza was his favorite food. Richie also loved baseball. He would take Hien to a Rivercats game every once and a while. He would go for the game and Hien would go for the food. That’s how they enjoyed spending their time together at the games. 

Recently, to the devastation of Rich and his loved ones, he was diagnosed with metastasized cancer from an unknown origin, on December 22, 2021.  He passed peacefully surrounded by family in the early hours of January 6th, 2022. 

In his caring nature, one of his last wishes was to have his body donated to science to assist in finding a cure for others who may be struggling with a similar illness.

He will be missed dearly, and his memory will live on in the many lives he touched. We will always keep Richie close and remember the blessing he was to our lives.

Loving words to Richie:

Brother, I can't believe you are gone.

How will we be able to celebrate Christmas without you and the bed pan?

I'll never forget our childhood and our coming of age together.
I will forever miss you and your witty antics.
Until we see each other again,
-BJ​​

Billy, everyday seems dimmer now without you here, your unconditional love to me will never be forgotten.  Some of my best memories in life have you in it right by my side; including you marrying me, our super funny family trips (SUSAN!), watching The Office together, brewery hopping, baseball games, and most recently our family dinners with you, me, and Hien. I love you so much and I can’t believe we have to go on without you – I am not sure how we can.  I can promise you that I will live each day for you, and I will keep our memories near and dear.  Rest in paradise and I will meet you there. <3

-Crystal

I can personally say Richie was a strong man, a caring and selfless person. Richie had integrity and was the kind of person we should all strive to be like. The last time I saw Richie was on a camping trip enjoying his family and loved ones. Those kinds of memories are what we keep close. Remember his smile, remember his sentiment, and take a piece of that with you today. Richie, we thank you for your presence and for the example. Rest well and know you are loved.
 -Franky