Emily Holt

Emily Wright Holt, 97, beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and resident of Bedford, MA and Clayton, NY, passed away on January 12, 2024. She was born on February 18, 1926, in Philadelphia, PA to the late W.D.C. Wright and Caroline Post.

Emily was raised in Princeton, New Jersey, where as a child she once brought Albert Einstein a pencil for his birthday. She attended Miss Chapin's School, boarded at St. Mary's Hall (now Doane Academy), and in 1950 earned a BS in Education from Wheelock College.

Eager to get to "Long Point", his summer home in the 1000 Islands, Emily's father would take her out of school early and send her to the island's one-room schoolhouse to finish the academic year. Riding the milk truck to school on a dirt road and sharing a classroom and outhouse with kids from neighboring farms was an exciting contrast to life in Princeton and the start of many lifelong friendships.

Summers on Grindstone Island led her to two great passions: her husband Shep and sailing. Emily and Shep first met on the island as young children, dated while attending college in Boston, married in 1949, started a family, and lived in Winchester for 55 years. In the summer they sailed together on the St. Lawrence River and later introduced their children to the thrill of catamarans. Upkeep of boats, children, buildings, and gardens at Long Point kept them in good shape for the remainder of their lives. At age 73, she took up rowing a shell for a few miles every morning.

In the winter they ice danced every Wednesday night and skated with their children every Friday and Sunday. Emily joined the Skating Club of Boston in 1948, and over the next sixty years performed alongside her husband, children, and grandchildren in Ice Chips, the club's annual skating showcase, for which she also designed and constructed countless costumes. Emily and Shep won the bronze medal in the 1952 New England Junior Dance competition and she competed in synchronized skating for 12 years. Her team, Esprit de Corps, won a National Gold Medal in 1992.

Already accomplished at knitting, sewing, and embroidery, Emily then learned ecclesiastical embroidery from the Sisters of St. Margaret Convent in Beacon Hill. She was an active member of The Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester and Christ Episcopal Church in Clayton, NY, and in 2013 she completed an elaborately embroidered altar piece for Parish of the Epiphany-a three-year, 1,000 hour project.

In 2012, Emily and Shep moved to Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford and continued to spend summers on Grindstone Island. Shep passed away in 2014.

Emily is survived by her daughter Caroline and husband Kenneth Larson of Bedford, her son Craig Holt and wife Elaine of Brockport, NY, and her daughter Alison Courtney Holt of New York City. She is also survived by five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a mournful Corgi.

A memorial service for Emily will be held on Saturday, March 16, at 10:30 am at The Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester, MA. Following the service, a reception will be held in the parish hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be directed to The Skating Club of Boston in order to name the Ice Chips ticket booth in honor of Shep and Emily for their 60 years of contributions to the show. Use the link below or send your contribution to SCOB, 750 University Ave, Norwood, MA 02062.