John Finley Holst, 50, of St. Charles, Minnesota, formerly of the Austin area, passed away suddenly on Thursday, June 23, 2016, at his home.

He was born July 18, 1965 to Victor John Holst and Janet Ellen Finley in Rochester, Minnesota. John was baptized as a baby at Trinity Lutheran Church in Dexter Township and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior as a teenager. John spent much of his childhood as a farm boy, living near Brownsdale, Minnesota. He dearly loved the farm, helping his Dad in the fields and with the livestock. He especially loved the John Deer tractors, which became a lifelong hobby of collecting authentic model replicas, along with his love of old cars. He later moved to the Minneapolis area with his mother and attended Osseo High School before studying Diesel Mechanics at Riverland Technical College in Rochester. On February 29, 2008, he was united in marriage to Mary Margaret Kreidermacher in Las Vegas, Nevada. John practiced the mechanics trade for 24 years in both the Minneapolis and Rochester areas. A perfectionist who relished hard work with the ‘big engines’, he learned a lot about mechanics by helping his Grandfather Finley as a young lad. His grandparents all called him ‘Johnny’. John was a gentle soul with a kind heart, which endeared him to many. He was a loving and faithful husband, son, and friend. His big smile lit up his face to reach his dancing blue eyes. John had a wonderful sense of humor. One of his favorite songs was “It’s a Wonderful World.” He made our world wonderful and was the very best part of it.

Survivors include his wife Mary of St. Charles, Minnesota, his mother Janet Finley of Adams, Minnesota, his step-mother Ilah Holst of Rapid City, South Dakota and step-siblings Jody, Mark, and Mike Krause; mother-in-law Dolores Kreidermacher of Rollingstone, Minnesota, sister-in-law Lori Schumann, brothers-in-law Rick, William, Jerry (Gina), Ron (Joni), Ken, Kevin, Steve; many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. John was preceded in death by his father Victor Holst, father-in-law John Kreidermacher, grandparents Dorris and John Finley and Ludmilla and Oscar Holst; aunt Lorraine Bublitz, uncles Gordon, Virgil and David Finley; cousins Donna Froomer, Sarah Finley, Jon and Nicolas Watson, and their family pet, Rascal.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 2, 2016, at the Worlein Funeral Home Chapel in Austin with Pastor Dale Christiansen officiating. Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Interment will be in Oakwood Cemetery. Memorials can be directed to recipient of donor’s choice. Worlein Funeral Home of Austin is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.worlein.com.