Living The Life He Almost Lost
Embedded Files
Anna Connors
Team Chapnick
Story Summary
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“Ain’t none of us gonna make it out alive,” Will Holliman, 45, says, as he prepares a tombstone to be set in its final resting place. Yet for Will, the end isn’t worth worrying about now. He’d rather focus on the present.
Will says he likely wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for a five-year prison sentence, during which he discovered a passion for poetry. He recorded around 200 poems in prison, but the book in which they were written was destroyed. Holliman, however, has memorized three of the poems about how his time behind bars clarified his priorities: savoring the precious fragility of life for himself and for those he loves.
“When I look at life’s pleasures
And all the money I’ve spent
All the things that I’ve had
That have all come and went
I have to give thanks to the one thing that’s free
The gift of your love
That you’ve always shown to me.”
Today, Will spends his days taking care of those who’ve passed, engraving tombstones and installing them in the cemetery as an employee at Whitener Monuments. The monument company is based in Kennett, Mo., but installs tombstones around Missouri and surrounding states. He spends his nights enjoying time with those he loves — his fiancé, Karissa Killian, and her children, Pierson, 8, and Aubree, 6.
Will Holliman shovels dirt to make a hole for the cement foundation of a tombstone at Elmwood Cemetery in Blytheville, Arkansas. Will has worked at Whitener Monument in Kennett, Mo. for nearly three years now, after he stumbled upon a sign in the front yard of the company that said they were looking for work.
Will loads a truck with a pair of tombstones ready to be set in the cemetery in Kennett. The granite used to make the stones weighs around 220 lbs per square foot, requiring a crane to move them.
Will and his fiancé Karissa Killian lean against his truck to watch the annual Delta Fair Parade while Karissa's son, Pierson, 8, watches in the foreground. Will and Karissa were friends for several years before they got engaged.
Will drives Pierson to school. Will's two biological children, who are now in their early 20’s, were young when he went to prison. Now, he tries to be there for Pierson and his sister Aubree, 6.
Will prepares to install a tombstone at the cemetery in Quilin, Mo., with his colleague, George “Bump” Odom. In order to prevent the stone from becoming crooked or sinking, they dig a shallow rectangular hole and pour a cement base, finally setting the stone in place. The job requires precision and care.
Will talks to his boss, Glen Whitener, and George “Bump” Odom about where to place a tombstone at the Elmwood Cemetery. Will said the best part of his job is working for “Mr. Glen”.
“Nobody comes to the cemetery to have a good time,” Will said. Nonetheless, he sees his job as important — it ensures those who’ve passed can find their peace.
Will gets gas on his way to school with Aubree. "She has my heart,” Will said.
Will and Karissa laugh on the couch after putting Karissa's children to bed. The two will be married in April of next year.
Will heads out of the house with Aubree and Pierson to take them to school before heading to work. Karissa said her kids have started calling Holliman’s house “home”.
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