Horace "King" Holley, III

Horace King Holley III, born in La Crosse, WI on July 24, 1936, current resident of Sparta, WI, passed away on May 20, 2026 at the age of 89.

He attended undergraduate school at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. He was a career realtor for many companies in La Crosse and was President of the La Crosse Area Realtors Association in 1998-1999 and 2007-2008.

He was the grandson of well-known architect, Otto A. Merman, who was responsible for many public buildings, schools, commercial and residential buildings in the La Crosse area. He was a long-time board member of the Preservation Alliance of La Crosse, a non-profit organization that works to save endangered historic buildings, presents awards to people in the community who demonstrate efforts in historic building preservation, and provides a Heritage Home Tour for homes that highlight the rich structural heritage of the city.

He is survived by his niece, Holley Holmberg, resident of La Crosse. He was preceded in death by his father, Horace King Holley, Jr., his mother Margaret “Petie” Holley, and his sister, Heather Holley Holmberg, along with many other family members. He was also preceded in death by his long-time partner, David Henke.

There will be a private interment at Oak Grove Cemetery on a future date. For memorial donations in King’s name, please visit the Preservation Alliance of La Crosse’s website at https://www.preservation-alliance.org/donate.