Marita Louise Holloway

Born on October 22, 1937 in Modesto, California, Marita was the first of six children of Milton and Clara (Horn) Holloway. She spent her early childhood in Modesto until the family moved to Sonora, California in 1954. She graduated from Sonora High School in 1955.

After earning her AA from Modesto Junior College in 1957, Marita attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she met her future husband, Don Holloway. Don found Marita when he looked at the school card file for other students with the last name Holloway attending BYU. He introduced himself to her at her residence and the two began dating. They were married in the Manti Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 20, 1959.

Family has always been important to Marita and she and Don were excited to start their own family. They were blessed with five children. Marita was a dedicated homemaker and found creative ways to stretch the income Don received as a school teacher in the Hayward School District. She was a master gardener who found joy in growing fruits, vegetables, and flowers. When the garden was harvested, Marita would recruit the children to assist in canning and preserving the produce. She was also a gifted seamstress and sewed many one-of-a-kind outfits for her children to wear.

When Don retired from teaching in 1993, they moved to Thornton, Colorado to be closer to some of their adult children and grandchildren. Marita continued to use her talents to bless the lives of her grandchildren. She prepared many Sunday dinners always including cake or cookies and ice cream. She usually had a gallon-sized bag of her famous chocolate chip cookies, with and without nuts, in the freezer just in case a grandchild stopped by. If an out-of-town child or grandchild was coming to visit she would bake an extra batch of cookies so they could take a bag home. Early each year she would ask each grandchild what they wanted to be for Halloween and would then get to work sewing costumes to fulfill each child's dream. Each year she filled a wall calendar with the many family birthdays and anniversaries and remembered those events with a card, gift, or phone call.

As a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Marita willingly accepted any assignment she was given and served diligently. Her children would occasionally open the refrigerator to find a delicious dish inside with a sign that said "for Relief Society [or some other event] DO NOT EAT". She was a wonderful example of finding joy in selfless service well into her later life, including doing laundry and caring for an elderly friend who was not much older than she was.

Talking about the weather with Marita was never small talk. As a weather enthusiast she could give the weather forecast, talk barometric pressure, or rainfall with the best of them. She even had official weather reporting equipment in her yard to record data that would be published in the newspaper and on television weather reports. After Don passed away, Marita sold their home and moved to a smaller place in Broomfield, Colorado. As her health deteriorated, she moved to assisted living in Winter Garden, Florida to be closer to her daughter, Melissa Bushman. We are thankful to many of the staff at The Blake for the loving care they provided for Marita during her stay there.

The things she loved in life were Jesus Christ and His gospel, family, gardening, sewing, the weather, and ice cream, especially chocolate ice cream in all its varieties. When asked in the last days of her life how she wanted her children to celebrate her life, she said, "eat ice cream all day long".

Marita was preceded in death by her husband, Don Ellsworth Holloway, her sister Dixie Dean Gardner, and her parents Milton and Clara Holloway. She is survived by her beloved children, Don Holloway, Jr. (Susan) of Thornton, Colorado, Melissa Bushman (Earl) of Winter Garden, Florida, Marcus Holloway of Commerce City, Colorado, Tim Holloway (Kim) of Loma Linda, California, and Mike Holloway (Cori) of Grand Junction, Colorado; seventeen cherished grandchildren, twenty-three treasured great-grandchildren; and her four brothers Donald Holloway (Sharon) of Utah, John Holloway (Gail) of California, Eugene Holloway (Judy) of Utah, and Daryl (Rebecca) of Arkansas. She also leaves behind many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held on July 25, 2025 from 10:00-10:50 a.m. followed by a celebration of Marita's life at 11:00 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3501 Summit Grove Parkway, Thornton, Colorado.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Marita's honor to the charity of your choice.