Obituary of Gerald Peter Holden

Pete passed away peacefully in his sleep at home on January 11, 2026, after a lifetime of dedication, service and love for his family, friends and country. Pete was born on November 8, 1944, in London, England. He moved, with his parents Simon and Trudy Holden and brother Derek Anthony Holden, to the United States in May 1949 and settled in Vineland, NJ the following year. Pete graduated from Vineland High School in 1963, where he played football and, because he had a beautiful voice, sang with the choir. He immediately enlisted with the United States Marine Corps and was a very proud Marine. He graduated from Parris Island and was then stationed in Camp Lejeune, where he was training for Force Reconnaissance (FORECON), a silent and deadly expeditionary force that goes behind enemy lines to gather intelligence. In 1965 Pete was sent to Vietnam. He was with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, the 1/9, nicknamed "The Walking Dead". He was a team leader responsible for his squad and, because being front line, the danger was very real. He saw things no 20-year-old should ever see, lost several of his own men and fought for his own life. When he finally came home in 1967, instead of being honored, he was reviled. All because he felt compelled to give back to the country that he called home. Unfortunately, he also came home with a severe case of PTSD and other conditions incurred due to Agent Orange. When he was discharged from the USMC active duty in 9/67, he decided to join the USMC Reserves for 2 years, discharged in 9/69. At the same time, he attended and graduated from Rowan College of South Jersey, Cumberland Campus, where he fell in love with the game of softball. He worked several jobs until October 1980 when he started his Promotional/Specialty Advertising business, Holden Enterprises LLC, from which he finally retired in December 2025. He met and became friends with many of his clients, because Pete never met a stranger - they all became his friends. Pete loved martial arts, where he trained in Okinawa, and softball. He continued self-training in his martial arts discipline of Taekwondo every day until his last day. He played softball with teams in Vineland, Millville and Bridgeton simultaneously, sometimes playing in all 3 places in one evening. When he reached the age of 59, he switched to Senior Softball. He played with a regular team, a Sunday team, and a traveling team, which took him all over the country. He retired from the game after playing for 50 years, at the age of 75. And he went out on a high! His last 2 games in the championship he batted 1000. Can't get much better than that. He was so proud. He couldn't just leave the game though. So, he started coaching several members of the Senior League over the next several years. He was so proud of their progress. Pete enjoyed his Friday morning breakfasts with the ROMEO Club (Retired Old Men Eating Out), Friday evening dinners with friends, traveling with his wife, especially to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Roswell, New Mexico, Area 51, Nevada and many National Parks, spending time with his family and friends, the Atlantic City casinos, cheering for the Phillies and Eagles, movies and video games. But most of all, he loved his wife Patti and never failed to tell everyone just how much. Pete was predeceased by his parents Trudy and Simon Holden; brother Derek Anthony Holden; nephew Mark Cerione; grandson Zachary Lauman; his in-laws Rudy and Alice Rossi, and sister-in-law Paula Rossi. Pete is survived by his wife Patricia; his daughters Deidra Detamore and Renee (Michael) Menne; grandchildren Tyler Edwards, McKenzie Edwards, Morgan Menne, Jordan Menne, and Taylor Menne; great-grandchildren Ryatt Drinkwine, Motley Drinkwine and Emilia Jones; brother and sister-in-law Rudy Jr and Cynthia Rossi; nieces and nephews, Rudy Rossi III (Amy), Kevin Rossi (Nikki) and Annette Cerione, and his great-nieces and nephews, Brianna Cerione, Adalyn Rossi, RJ Rossi, Anthony Rossi and Everett Rossi. Inurnment will be private at Cumberland County Veterans Cemetery, Bridgeton. ARRANGEMENTS are under the supervision of Rone Funeral Service, 1110 East Chestnut Avenue, Vineland, NJ 08360 To send online condolences please visit our website at www.RONEFUNERALSERVICE.com