Holden Jakob Hildebrand was born in the early morning hours of September 25, 2004 at Victoria General Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is the first-born son to Colin and Haily and protective big brother to Finn.

Holden and his brother were instantly best friends. Holden was so excited at having a little brother that he stared at him constantly, so preoccupied with Finn that he barely ate for two weeks after he came home from the hospital. Every morning his parents would find that Holden climbed into Finn’s crib and the two would be holding hands, smiling and laughing. Growing up they were always together playing hockey, catching frogs or playing dress up. Holden loved to dress up in costumes and quite often would become obsessed with living out that fantasy until he was completely done with it, then he would move onto something else.

The family started out in St. Norbert, after 4 years moved to Garden City so that the family could spend more time together as both parents worked in the River East community. He attended elementary at Forrest Park School, where he became fast friends with fellow students. Holden was a shy boy and was drawn to kids that would take him under their wing. In elementary, he struggled through class work but always worked hard to persevere. It was later discovered that he was struggling with ADHD and other learning challenges. Holden developed a love for hockey in kindergarten and begged his parents to sign him up. The following year he started in Timbits. He quickly learned to skate and enjoyed his ever evolving skills. He played various positions over the next 8 years, with his father sometimes assisting with coaching. He had a keen hockey sense with the goal of teamwork over individual effort. Ice hockey transitioned into ball hockey, with his father assisting to coach the team, they won the city championship.

He went on to HC Avery for middle school, where friendships shifted and he often felt unsure of himself. By mid-grade 8, he was struggling to find his place which drew him into questionable friendships and making choices he regretted. He transferred to Leila North after a difficult first term and felt like he quickly fit in. His interests blossomed; he began taking guitar lessons through School of Rock, becoming a member of the band. He had a natural gift for music and enjoyed learning to play music from his favourite band at the time, Green Day. He performed in four concerts in the next year, learning numerous songs for each concert. He also became interested in learning jiu jitsu. He started taking classes with a coworker of his father’s who became a mentor to him. It was a place where he truly finally felt like he belonged. Tragically, shortly after starting classes his mentor suddenly passed away. This left him at a loss and looking for a place to fit in once again.

He started high school at Maples Collegiate; he quickly became overwhelmed with the size of the school and having to start new at making friends. He struggled to find acceptance and tried so hard to fit in. The struggles resulted in a deterioration in his mental health. The family moved to the Island Lakes community to help him get a new start. He started school at JH Bruns in the spring of 2019. The amazing staff worked to make him feel welcome and safe. He could not shake his struggles and lost interest in everything he held so dearly. On Saturday February 13, 2021, Holden succumbed to his sorrows.

Holden was a loving caring young man. He was proud of his ability to take care of others. He loved taking care of his family, cooking food and he had a sense of needing to protect them and keep them safe. He was intelligent and creative, often investing so much time and energy into something that he took an interest in. From a young age, Holden sought out adventures. He would insist on taking his brother out to find insects or convince him to play out some make believe. Holden talked about one day becoming a doctor or electrician. He had started to apply for jobs and was looking forward to taking driver’s education.

Holden loved his pets, his dog Lucy and his cats, Puddin, Kadee, and Kit. He would sleep with one or all of them nightly.

He will be inconsolably missed by his parents, Haily and Colin; his brother Finn; grandparents, Jack, Laura, Dave, Dorothy; his aunties and uncles, Shawna (Joe), Isaiah, Cheryl (Jess); cousins Layne, Aiden, Hendrix, Clementine, Piper, and Julian; and many more family and friends. He was predeceased by great-grandparents, Adelore, Mathilda, Robert and Eva, Anne and Henry, Jake, Helen and Molly

Donations in his name may be made to Inspire Community Outreach.

His family would like to thank the firefighters, paramedics and police officers who cared for the family in a time of need. We would especially like to thank Officer Lee for the warmth and compassion she provided in our darkest hour, your kindness will never be forgotten.

Due to Covid-19 restriction you are invited to join us virtually on Monday February 22, 2021 at 2:30pm by clicking the link on the Join Livestream Link in the services tab below.