Patricia Anne Holt

March 20, 1933 – December 5, 2024

Anne was an exceptionally fine mother in so many ways that will stay in our hearts as a comfort for the rest of our lives. She did her duty, in the many roles she played, but she did so much more. We are very lucky to have had her.

Anne was born on the first day of spring with her twin sister, Catherine Mary. They were two of five daughters of Bertha (Robinson) and Robert Lowe: Una, Jean, Anne, Mary and Marjory. Bertha was a teacher and Robert a civil engineer. He built some of the original major highways throughout the province and, as he moved for various projects, the family moved too. Bertha taught in many small rural schools in the BC interior where her own five daughters made up a sizable percentage of the student population. A rural outdoor life close to nature was definitive for all the sisters.

Anne and Mary were born in the Cowichan Valley and the family returned there when they were in their high school years. Both went to teacher’s training in Victoria. Both eventually had four children, became kindergarten teachers, and settled with their families in Coquitlam. As you can imagine, two identical kindergarten teachers in the community created confusing encounters for many students and parents. The five sisters were close, but Anne and Mary were soulmates as only twins can be. It was a tragedy in Anne’s life when Mary developed early onset Alzheimer’s and passed away in her early seventies.

Even though she was a devoted twin, Anne forged her own path in many ways. After an adventurous move to Montreal to attend McGill University for a couple years, she returned to Vancouver and fortuitously took a badminton class with her best friend Suzy Burton. The instructor was a tall handsome athlete, Bob Holt, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Anne married Robert William Holt at St Peter’s Anglican Church in Duncan BC on Dec 28, 1957. Over the next decade four children arrived: Catherine, Bruce, Lynne (Chris) and Robert (Lea). And then, to her enormous joy, came eleven grandchildren: Cassandra (MacKenzie), Matthew, Jennifer (Devon), Samuel, Braden (Anjali), Emily, Morgan, Natasha, Sanna, Laura and Aaron. And eventually four great grandchildren: Ezra, Isla, William, Ronan and any day now…number five.

Mum was the soul of the family and its connective tissue. She kept in regular touch with all her children and grandchildren and we knew we were, unequivocally, the most important part of her life. She was that rare and valuable thing - a good listener - of anything from birdsong to anguished teenagers.

We were her clan. But she also had a tribe: The Burke Mountain Naturalists (BMN). This thriving group of nature lovers was founded in our living room in Coquitlam in 1989, shortly after mum retired.

Other than her family, Burke Mountain Naturalists was the thing she enjoyed most in life and is her proud legacy. Mum was a dedicated birdwatcher with an encyclopedic knowledge of birds, plants and trees. Much of our childhood was spent taking long nature walks with her throughout the lower mainland and as interludes on our epic family road trips throughout BC and across Canada. When we were grown, she had time to spend with her naturalist friends advocating passionately and effectively for conserving nature and spending time in it. Her second home was Colony Farm Regional Park. For thirty years, the BMN executive met monthly at our family home drawn as much by mum’s famous blueberry crisp as by the nature business. She also had an impressive cookie repertoire and her perfect star-shaped sugar cookies magnetically attracted grandchildren.

She walked every day in whatever corner of nature she could find in the big city, and she and Bob spent decades cultivating a magnificent garden as their own retreat. And after her daily dose of nature, she had a cup of tea and did some knitting. She must have had about 75,000 cups of tea and created hundreds of lovely cozy sweaters, blankets, hats and scarves for friends and family.

Anne was also a dedicated volunteer for the Coquitlam-Maillardville BC NDP Riding Association and, especially, Linda Asgeirsson and MLA John Cashore. She and dad earned lifetime honourary memberships in the party and were recipients of the Queen’s Gold Jubilee Medal for community service. But that was not why she did it, so she never mentioned it.

The last several years of mum’s life were a struggle with dementia. It has been a long, painful goodbye. But her heart stayed strong, because of all that walking but also with love. Regardless of what was happening with her mind, her love for each and every one of us remained steady and clear, as it always had. And we loved her deeply in return.

In addition to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, Anne is survived by her husband of 67 years, Bob, her oldest sister Una Hearn and youngest sister Marjory Sims.

To remember Anne, we recommend going for a nature walk followed by a nice cup of tea and giving someone in your family a big hug. We plan to have a celebration of Anne’s life on, or near, her birthday, March 20th, at Colony Farm Regional Park. Details to be finalized closer to the date.

“All that I am, and hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”

- Abraham Lincoln

“Know nature and keep it worth knowing.”

- BC Nature, Federation of BC Naturalists