On Wednesday, October 25th, the Gary Thompson Agency Deshler location celebrated 85 Years in business under management of the Holle Family. Al Holle, Location Manager & Account Executive and his wife, Marge Holle, Client Relationship Manager, are the third generation of Holle’s to continue the insurance business. GTA was proud to recognize and celebrate this milestone with an Open House at their location.
Several customers and people stopped by to congratulate Al & Marge plus they also received many well wishes and gifts. Thank you to everyone who came or reached out to them!
To share the history behind their 85 year celebration, please see below:
Holle Insurance Agency was started by Alvin W. Holle, Al Holle’s grandfather, in 1932. In 1950, Harris G. Holle, Al’s father, joined the agency. Al then came back to Deshler in 1973 joining the agency to be the third generation of Holle’s to continue the insurance business. In 2006, Gary Thompson Agency, Inc. purchased the Holle Insurance Agency, Inc., yet the management team of Al & Marge has remained the same.
Al & Marge provided this history below from the Deshler history book when the agency was celebrating 55 years in 1987.
The Holle Insurance Agency of Deshler, Nebraska has been in business fifty-five years, September 1987. Alvin W. Holle moved to Deshler, NE in the spring of 1919 from Hanover, Kansas. He came with his parents, Martin and Sophia Holle, and settled on the Holle farm located a half mile south of Deshler. He was not particularly interested in farming as times were very tough, so he thought he would try his luck at being a salesman. One of his first jobs was working for Bill Ude Motor Co. selling Ford cars at the present location of the Reinke Electrical Shop on Main Street. He later sold cars for the Laune Garage located in the brick building now housing the Fire Hall and the Nutrition Center. He worked in the pool hall for Bill W. Vieselmeyer but times were very hard so it went out of business. The Uphoff Garage was in the basement of the pool hall. Alvin sold cars for them until 1934. The cars were driven out of the basement through a garage door in the alley. The cost of a new touring car was $374.00 and a Ford Sedan sold for $680.00.
In 1932, Alvin bought the John Schwerin Insurance Agency. He changed the name to Holle Insurance Agency. He continued to sell cars for 2 more years as he had purchased a new home and needed the extra income until he built up his insurance business. At first, Alvin conducted the business out of his home in Deshler, his wife Edna Grupe assisted him with the book work. He later rented Mrs. Sittler’s Millinery Shop, after it went out of business. It is presently the south section of Coast to Coast. Several years later he rented a room on the south side of Hotel Deshler. He hired Ray Ahrendts to help with the bookkeeping and to answer the phone. Ray also worked as the treasurer for the Deshler Telephone Company.
In 1950, Alvin bought the vacant lot on the east side of Deshler’s main street, just south of the Reed Hospital. It was here that he had a modern office constructed. His son, Harris G. Holle, joined the insurance agency in May 1950. Harris had just graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University, majoring in insurance, real estate and business. In 1954, Harris added real estate to the business. On June 24, 1950, the Holle’s held an open house at their new office building, over three hundred fifty guests registered in the guest book. Some of the insurance companies they sold for were: Midwest Life, Grain Dealers National Mutual Fire, State Auto, American Alliance, Employers Mutual Casualty, May nard V. Mills representing the Western Mutual Fire and Farmer’s Hail, Standard Casualty, Standard Reliance, Capital Mutual and Iowa Home Mutual Casualty Insurance Company.
Some of the people that worked for Alvin as insurance salesman are: Herb Schoenfeld, Ross Clem and Clarence Bodtke. Those that have assisted with the office work are: Ray Ahrendts, Joyce Meyer, Lucille (Clarence) Meyer, Diane Medina and Danielle FinteI. In 1957 Lucille Meyer joined the agency as bookkeeper and secretary, a position she stiII holds today. In May 1973, Alan L. Holle returned from Nebraska Wesleyan University and the Department of Roads at Lincoln to be the third generation to join the Holle Insurance Agency. At this time full auction of real estate was added. Real estate salesman working out of the agency are: Roy Holtzen and Carol Deepe.
On December 2, 1982, the agency formed a corporation called the Holle Agency, Inc. September 24, 1982, the Holle Agency celebrated fifty years of being in business. The Deshler Rustler read – “Three generations of Holle’s have been involved in the company during those fifty years, making it truly a “Family Business.” The celebration consisted of an open house from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the insurance office, 92 guests attended a patio dinner at the Harris Holle home. A dance was held at the Deshler Legion Club from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m. During the festivities Lucille Meyer was presented with a plaque for 25 years of service as Secretary and Bookkeeper for the Holle Agency. Through the years the Holle Agency purchased the following agencies: John Schwerin Agency, Ed Rodenburg Agency, Rudolph Koch Agency, John Stelling Agency all of Deshler, Nels Nelson Agency of Ruskin, Henkle Agency of Davenport and the Bodtke Agency of Hebron.
Additions to the above history include:
- Their secretary Lucille Meyer, retired after 43 years.
- Marge Holle started part-time in 1990 and came on-board full-time in 2000.
- As previously stated, Gary Thompson Agency, Inc. purchased Holle Insurance Agency, Inc. in 2006