Ruth Violet Hiatt Holt

Mom remembered the struggles of the depression but celebrated her childhood as a rough and tumble outdoors child who enjoyed playing with her brothers, Ted and Bill. Her sister, Nita, was the inside child who helped their mom, Mabel, with all the canning from the garden and the household chores. The value of learning was instilled in the children by their dad, Bill Hiatt, who had only an eighth-grade education. As a result, one can see throughout the family a premium on all things intellectual.

Ruth became a Christian in 1943 and this was the central thread of her life. Marrying Thomas Carlyle Holt in the early 1940s, she had 5 children and raised 4, Nancy, Lucy, Nathan, and Jessie; Steven died in infancy.

She finished college in her forties and graduated in the first graduating class from Houston Baptist College with a biology major and Old Testament minor. She taught for 10 years, with her students coming back to visit her into her 70’s.

Ruth was always adventurous to the point of giving heart attacks to her loved ones. Her escapades included crossing Galveston Bay/Houston Ship Channel in a dingy at dusk without lights or radio, swimming with sharks, mountain hiking, and riding her stallion, Smith, into her 60’s. These are just a few examples of many.

Ruth and Tom had a long marriage and so enjoyed their retirement years together. They lived on a sailboat for a while with the biggest adventure being a sailing trip from Florida to Texas. They then moved on to RVing with many, many miles under the wheels including a long Canadian trip to visit her birthplace, Drumheller, Albert, Canada. This trip also included visits to all the Canadian relatives across several provinces.

She was multitalented. She sewed, baked, cooked, knitted, crocheted, read voraciously, loved music, wrote prolifically with passion, and had strong opinions on everything. Politics were at the top of the list.

We moved often, as a family, because Dad was a geophysicist in the early oil industry days. Ruth was very adjustable to new surroundings and made a home happen quickly.

With her children, she shared her faith, her love of learning and her sense of adventure. She also shared her dislike of housekeeping although our house was always perfect with the cleaning completed by her crew of 4.

All of us, including her 10 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren, honor Ruth’s life and her influence on the continuing family history. We celebrate that she is now in her new heavenly home reunited with her husband and three children who arrived before her.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be sent to the foreign mission program at Tomball United Methodist Church, (Tomballumc.org), in her honor.