Hollar bought Shell's Bar-B-Q on Springs Road in Hickory in 1975 from Fred and Violet Shell, who had opened the restaurant in 1952. Shell's remains famous for its pork barbecue, in-house smoked hams and cherry-vanilla-lemon Sun-drops.

For years, it was a popular place for young people to hang out, even in the parking lot; in fact, Hollar's daughter, Lisa, met Blake "Bee" Watts, the man who would become her husband, when she was working at Shell's as a waitress and he was placing an order.

In 1991, Lisa and Blake bought Shell's from Hollar. They own it to this day.

Hollar, an Army veteran and salesman, had always wanted to own a restaurant, said his wife, Mable. He figured he couldn't do much better than Shell's.

"He was proud of it, and I was proud of it," she said. "He wanted to keep it just like Fred Shell had it."

Hollar's other great passion was hunting, especially elk hunting. Until he physically couldn't do it anymore, he'd take an annual trip to Montana or Colorado to hunt elk, Mable Hollar said.

"He was just a very friendly person. It's hard for me to describe him, really," she said. "He was full of life. He loved life."

But Hollar suffered from polycystic kidney disease, which runs in his family, Mable said. His family had taken him to Hospice of Catawba Valley in Newton on Friday.

Hollar is survived by Mable; Lisa, of Hickory; son Rick, of Spartanburg; brother Norman, of Conover; sister Charlotte Simmons, of Charlotte; and six grandchildren.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. today at St. Stephens Lutheran Church, 2304 Springs Road N.E., Hickory. Burial will follow at the church cemetery.