Martha Linnea Ohrn Holt

Martha Linnea (Linnea) Ohrn Holt passed away peacefully on July 31, 2025, in Bountiful, Utah at the age of 89.

Linnea was born on May 24, 1936, in San Mateo, California to Carl Erik Sixten Ohrn and Pluma Jane Campbell. After her parents divorced in her early childhood, Linnea and her father moved to Utah and lived with her grandparents, Carl Erik and Marta Eliza Ohrn-known as "Farfar" and "Farmor," Swedish immigrants who loved her like a daughter. A highlight of her youth was a summer spent in Sweden with them, a gift from her father to celebrate her high school graduation.

Her father's marriage to Lorraine Adams brought a new mother to her life. At age 14, Linnea welcomed a new little sister, Carol.

Linnea often rode the bus from the YWCA with other young women to Hill Air Force Base for servicemen's dances. At one of those dances, she met a young aircraft mechanic from North Carolina named Herb. He asked for her phone number but didn't write it down. To her surprise, he later called-having memorized her phone number!

On December 21, 1957, Linnea married Herbert Lancaster Holt in Salt Lake City, Utah. Together they raised four sons-Thomas (Tom), Andrew (Andy), James (Jim), and William (Bill)-all born within five years. Life with four energetic boys led Linnea to joke, "I'm not a mother, I'm a referee!" She and Herb balanced the chaos with a lot of outdoor time, including camping, skiing, and backpacking. As they grew older, Linnea opted to stay home on ski days but always greeted the skiers with a warm meal. "The boys" remember dinner on the table promptly at 5 PM each day. They remember only eating out "literally once a year" at the end of each school year. Linnea was proud that each of her sons left for college knowing how to cook, sew, and do their own laundry.

Linnea held several part- and full-time jobs over the years to help with family finances. She especially enjoyed her time at Morris Travel. Once empty nesters, she and Herb were able to travel often, with Mexico being a favorite destination. They also enjoyed taking their trailer to visit friends around the country, to the Senior Games in St. George, Utah where Herb competed in tennis each October, and to Yuma, Arizona to snowbird each winter. Lake Powell also became a yearly tradition with their circle of longtime friends.

Sewing was one of Linnea's favorite hobbies. When the boys were young, she made a lot of their clothing. When Herb built an airplane, she made custom cushions for the cockpit. She taught each of her granddaughters to sew and gifted sewing machines to them at high school graduation. After moving to Richfield, she joined the local quilt guild and sewed many beautiful quilts for her loved ones.

Linnea was also a talented artist. She enjoyed pastel painting which earned her recognition in Sevier County art shows and was featured in the Richfield Reaper.

Both Herb and Linnea encouraged and supported their family's education. As each grandchild attended college, they could count on a call from Linnea each semester asking for the total cost of their books, and a check would arrive shortly after that was signed with her impeccable signature.

To her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Linnea was simply "Grandma Nay." They remember her for sewing lessons, crafting projects, overdone cookies (for coffee dipping), sugar eggs, Scrabble, and playing card games with proper shuffling and dealing etiquette. A highlight memory is Linnea's discovery of Facebook and many memorable messages and comments written in ALL CAPS and always signed, "G'MA NAY."

Linnea is survived by her four sons: Thomas (Lori) Holt, Andrew Holt, James (Christa) Holt, and William (Janalyn) Holt; her half-sister Carol Margaret Ohrn Peters; 15 grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, her parents, and her grandparents.

A family memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 1, 2025.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the staff at Creekside Senior Living Center and Ovation Hospice for their compassionate care.