Hollis Maxwell Marcell

Holly Marcell passed away after a short battle with acute leukemia on January 28th, 2025. She was 80 years old.

Holly was born in Syracuse, NY on February 28th, 1944. Her parents soon moved to Destin, Florida where they would build their home and raise their family. Holly grew up in Destin at a time when her nearest neighbor was ten miles away. She loved to tell the stories of growing up with her three brothers and her sister running wild on the beaches and in the woods surrounding their home. She would talk about the free-range cows that roamed the beaches. One of the few rules her parents had was that the kids had to look over the sand dunes to look for cows before they could go to the beach to swim. If it were only cows on the beach, they could swim, but if the bull was on the beach they had to come home. The kids would dig great tunnels on the beach and a fort on top of a large sand dune (which they accidentally burned down) as well as turn old cars into dune buggies and ride all along the beach - until they inevitably got stuck and had to get daddy to help get them out. She always said it was a great childhood, but a miracle the five of them all survived.

Holly went to college at Syracuse University, where thanks to her friend and roommate Jan, she got set up on a blind date with Ed Marcell, who she eventually married. They were married for 59 years. They married at her family's property in Westbrook, Connecticut. As the story goes, it was a wonderful wedding and party. At some point somehow the old outhouse caught fire, and all the men had to form a bucket brigade to put the fire out. Holly always loved a good fire.

Holly and Ed eventually moved to Dayton, Ohio where they worked and started a family. They had three children. Eventually, they moved back to Destin and back to the road that Holly grew up on.

Holly began working for a small company at the time, Ocean Reef Realty, where she was one of the three original employees. She had started working at the front desk making reservations and dealing with customer complaints. Her boss, Tim, soon learned to enjoy Holly's great writing ability when he read her responses to a complaint. She had quite a way with words, quick wit, and just a touch of sarcasm. She eventually became the head of housekeeping for the company and oversaw and managed the many housekeepers for all the rental properties. She stayed with Ocean Reef for about 30 years and watched the company grow into the large business it is today.

Holly was known as one of the sweetest women anyone ever met. It took a lot to upset or offend her; she was a very patient person with most people. If you did somehow manage to make her angry, she could get a little mischievous look about her and come up with a clever way to get back at you. For example, there was a time when a new house was being constructed across the street from her house. The house had been completed for a very long time, but the company that supplied the porta potty refused to come pick it up. One afternoon she was telling the rest of the family about her frustration that the porta potty was still there, and wouldn't it be funny if we could just tow it up to highway 98 and leave it there. Surely then the company would immediately get a call from the county to come pick it up. Well, some of her family members (who we won't name names here) informed her that it was definitely possible to tow that porta potty and they were willing to do it for her. She was very excited about the idea but then turned to us with a mischievous little twinkle in her eye. She said, "I have a better idea of where to leave the porta potty." And so, per her instructions, the family towed the porta potty using a golf cart up to highway 98 and then over to a business that shall remain unnamed. Apparently, the owner of said business had been, for lack of a better term, a jerk over the years. Holly instructed the family to drop the porta potty off in the reserved parking spot of said business owner. Apparently, the person called the number on the porta potty, and it was removed the next day.

Holly eventually retired from Ocean Reef and enjoyed her life on her "little dirt" road. She and Ed enjoyed going to the beach to watch the sunset every evening - always with a Manhattan in hand, of course. She enjoyed spending time with her husband and her family. She loved sitting on the beach watching all her kids and grandchildren play. And if there was ever the slightest reason to have a fire, whether on the beach, in a fire pit, or at home in the fireplace she was always promoting the idea. Holly loved a good fire.

She was preceded in death by her parents Charles and Ann Windes and brother Jon Windes. She is survived by her husband Ed, children Chris Marcell (Julie), Kathy Hazen (Kirk) and Susan Predella (Bob), as well as ten grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren, her brother Kelly Windes (Mary Ann), David Windes (Ruth) and sister Judy Harrelson.

Holly will be remembered for the kind and funny person she was and is greatly missed.