Kathryn Holder

1928 - 2025

Kathryn Holder

July 27, 1928 - March 28, 2025

Aiken, South Carolina - Kathryn R. Holder died March 28, 2025, in Aiken, South Carolina, at age 96, after a full, interesting and rewarding life.

Her primary adage was, "If you are interested in human nature, you will never run out of material," and she lived that truth. Kathryn was wise, optimistic, pragmatic, insightful, curious, service-oriented, and never bored. She was truly "delightful."

Kathryn Anderson Robinson was born July 27, 1928, in Clinton, North Carolina, to Albert Grady Robinson and Rosa Moye Mercer Robinson. She graduated in 1949 from Queens College, in Charlotte, NC.

After college, Kathryn taught school in VA and NC, where she met Thomas Martin Holder ("Tom"), a student at Wake Forest Medical School. They married in 1953. Kathryn moved north to join Tom in his residency years. She taught school in Philadelphia and Melrose (near Boston) until she "retired" in 1958 when their first child was born.

In 1960, Kathryn and Tom moved to Kansas City for Tom to take a position as the first Surgeon in Chief at Children's Mercy Hospital. Kathryn devoted her energies to supporting Tom's demanding professional career (including proofreading over 130 academic manuscripts), corralling three strong-willed children, managing a household, and volunteering in the community.

Her decades of enduring community service included tutoring reading in the Kansas City, MO, public schools and supporting the symphony and her church. Until her early 90s, she was a member of ATC (Alternate Tuesdays Club), one of Kansas City's oldest women's study clubs, and she prepared a research paper each year. Unexpected highlight experiences of her Kansas City decades were competing in the American Royal, doing original research for ATC in the Truman Library, and serving as president of the Mission Hills Homes Association.

In their early nineties (in 2019), Kathryn and Tom moved to Aiken, SC, to be closer to family. Kathryn proved her tenacious and caring mettle by supporting Tom through his final years with dementia, and outliving him, as was their shared goal. Until the end, Kathryn felt fully challenged, fully engaged, and fully contributing from her abilities and position. She offers her gratitude to friends and family for a lifetime of support and encouragement.

Kathryn was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas M. Holder, M.D., her parents, and three brothers. She is survived by three children, Celeste Holder Kling (Robert), Thomas Martin Holder, Jr. (Becky), and Kathryn Holder Viele (Steve), three grandchildren, Kali Holder (Kaden Borseth), Matthew Kling (Zoe Sheldon), Alexis Hoffkling (isele harper), and two great-grandchildren, Wylie Holder Jewett and Sylvie Huntington Jewett, and her brother Redmond Mercer Robinson, extended family members, and countless grateful friends.

Additional obituary at overlandparkchapel.com