Marjorie Sue Holt

1945 - 2023

MARJORIE SUE HOLT

May 11, 1945 January 14, 2023

Marjorie Sue Holt, 77, of Bakersfield, CA passed away in her sleep and in the comfort of her own home on January 14, 2023. Without warning, Jesus mercifully pulled her out of her courageous fight against cancer and sudden loss of short term memory, and gently carried her home.

Margie was born on May 11, 1945 to Henry and Esther Lopez at Miss Freise's Maternity Home in downtown Bakersfield. In 1954, her father's work took her and her parents to the Azores Islands in Portugal for a government contract job that took two years to complete. Being the baby bonus of four children, her older siblings stayed behind in the states, which was always a sadness she never forgot. Although she was only eleven years old when they returned to her Bakersfield home, Margie had a newfound love and appreciation for both family and country that would last for the rest of her life.

Margie attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary School and went on to graduate from Garces Memorial High School which she considered the best high school in the world. There, she was involved in dozens of school clubs and services including Girls' Sodality, Speech and Debate (surprise, surprise), Rally Club, and GAA to name a few. She was president of Aquinas Club and a Page Editor on The Garcian School Newspaper for four years. She was especially proud in later years to have one granddaughter attend Garces, four great grandchildren attend Catholic elementary school, and one granddaughter who teaches at Garces today. If there was one thing she loved more than her country, it was her beloved Catholic faith.

Margie would go on to serve Jesus for the rest of her life by teaching the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) to public elementary school students, completing and serving in Family of Faith Religious Education, and was a Mentor Mom for the Catholic Moms Group at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. Margie was certified as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for both OLPH and SEAS where she most recently administered the Holy Eucharist until 2021 when she was no longer able to serve due to her health.

Margie had a deep passion for education and was especially proud of her two terms as an elected official. In 1979, she was the number one vote getter in the race for a seat on the Bakersfield City School District Board of Education and would go on to be re-elected for another four years. She was instrumental in structuring the integration of schools without forced busing and gained local and national media attention when her plan became known as a Blueprint for the Nation by the National Secretary of Education. Margie believed, We have an obligation to make things better for others and ourselves by holding public office and exercising our right as free Americans.

Margie's fervor for education was second only to the love of her family. In 1966, Margie met a blue-eyed boy from Oildale while cruising Chester Avenue downtown with her best friend, Donna. Together, she and our father, Jim Holt would go on to be married for forty years, have three children, and build a beautiful life full of love and laughter. Even through the hard times of heartache and everyday challenges in life, Margie made sure that her children loved and laughed together and never strayed far from home. They knew they were the center of her world, but she was the center of theirs. In May of 1982 a newspaper article was published acknowledging her parental excellence entitled, Supermom: She's a little of everything to her family...and much more.

Not only did Margie shine in her responsibilities in faith, family, and civic duty, she excelled in her thirty year career in banking and finance. She received countless awards for her superior production and exemplary customer service. In 1989, Margie was also one of the few women elected to active membership in The International Kiwanis Club of Bakersfield. One of the highlights of her banking career was when she won a brand new 1994, bright red (her favorite color), Mercury Capri convertible for her sales performance with Wells Fargo Bank.

After retiring from WFB in 2000, Margie went to work for her daughter as a Financial Assistant with Washington Mutual Investments where she became a Registered Representative after acquiring her Series 6 and Life Insurance Licenses. She permanently retired from Citibank in 2014 during which time she became a Kern County Court Appointed Special Advocate in order to appease her lifelong call to help as many children as possible.

As busy as her life was, Margie always found time for family fun with tons of trips to Las Vegas, cruises to Mexico and the Caribbean, dry camping on the dunes at Pismo Beach, and in the Mojave Desert at Jawbone Canyon. She even traveled to the Canary Islands when she was seven months pregnant and rode a camel with her mom.

There was never a dull moment in the Holt house. Frequent family gatherings with a house full of grandchildren, a table full of food, and her uniquely diverse list of songs playing in the background, from Celine Dion to Slim Shady, this was her happy place. This was her family.

Margie was predeceased by her husband of forty years, Jim; her parents, Henry and Esther; and her sister, Jeannie Stumpf. She leaves behind four children and their spouses, whom she also considered children of her own: Wendy and Michael Curtis, Misty and Mark Lindsey, Jamison and Brandy Holt, all of Bakersfield, and Kim and Craig Conaway, of Plano, Texas. Margie is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law Henry Buddy and Barbara Lopez, of Bakersfield, brother-in-law Frederick Stumpf, of Clovis, and sister Gloria, of Moline, Illinois; thirteen grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Open visitation will be at Greenlawn Funeral Home, 3700 River Boulevard, on Friday, January 27, 2023 starting at 4:00pm. A Vigil/Rosary will begin at 7:00pm. The Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 124 Columbus Street on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 11:00am. The Rite of Committal will be immediately following at Greenlawn Cemetery - Northeast. A Repast Reception Luncheon will be at Sundale Country Club (Petroleum Club at Sundale) 6218 Sundale Avenue to celebrate Margie's incredible life.

Although our hearts are broken and healing seems nowhere in sight, we place our hope in Jesus, knowing our mom is finally reunited with our dad and grandparents. We have no doubt that she is in the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and absolutely no doubt that she is asking Him millions and millions of questions at this very moment.

www.bakersfield.com/obits