Obituary of Paul D. Holt

Paul David Holt passed away March 14, 2023. Born in Elkhart, IN to Rev. Loyd and Ella Holt, Paul was raised in Baltimore, MD and graduated from Baltimore City College High School in 1955 and Upsala College in 1959 with a BA in Business Administration, where he played basketball. While at Upsala, he met his wife Nancy Anderson of Ashtabula, OH. They were married May 14, 1960, at Messiah Lutheran Church in Ashtabula. Paul went on to work for Hardware Mutual Insurance Co. in Newark, NJ and was transferred to Philadelphia. In 1963, he had an opportunity to move closer to family and took a job with Jamestown Mutual Insurance Co. In 1966, he went to work for the Travelers Insurance Co in Jamestown, where he stayed until he retired in 1998 as Assistant Manager, reporting through the Buffalo, NY office. He then volunteered his time driving for the American Cancer Society and for CARTS. Paul was a devoted husband of 62 years and a loving father, grandfather, and great grandfather. Nothing made him happier than being with family and friends, whether it was golf outings at various courses with his three sons, vacationing together in New Smyrna Beach, FL, or the traditional Thanksgiving Eve dinner with the whole family at Miller's Grove. A proud grandfather, Paul loved being there for the momentous events in his grandchildren's lives as well as the countless baseball, soccer, basketball and football games, and gymnastics meets. A lifelong Baltimore Orioles fan, Paul passed that loyalty and love for the game on to his sons and grandchildren. He especially enjoyed returning to Baltimore every year with them for baseball games. Paul was a member of First Lutheran Church and previously Immanuel Lutheran where he served as council president for several terms and served on various other committees. He was on the board of Lutheran Social Services from 1985-1995 and served as President of the Board for a number of years. Proud of his Swedish heritage, Paul was a member of the Norden Club, Vikings and Thule Lodge. He was also a long-time member at South Hills Country Club. Paul coached Little League Baseball for 17 years, earning the nickname "SUPER". He was dedicated to making sure that everyone played regardless of their skill level, and when Paul's team finally won the championship, he was honored with a banner that was made for him by all the other coaches. Paul grew up in a totally segregated Baltimore until his senior year of high school, when he saw the first black student in the entire city escorted in by Federal Marshals. Later in his senior year at Upsala, his basketball team played at Maryland Eastern Shore, and the team was not allowed into a restaurant because they had two black players. These events impacted Paul deeply and gave him an understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement. Paul was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his beloved wife Nancy Holt (nee Anderson), sons Stephen (Shandra), Thomas (Lisa) and David, grandchildren Michael (Jessica), Ryan, David, Leah (Wolf Shafer), Finley and Grayson, and great grandson Brooks. The family will have visitation on Sunday, March 19 at the Lind Funeral in Jamestown from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, and a funeral service will be held Monday, March 20 at 11:00 am at First Lutheran Church of Jamestown. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to First Lutheran Church of Jamestown or the Lutheran Social Services Foundation. You may leave words of condolence at www.lindfuneralhome.com.