Thomas Parnell Holt

Thomas Parnell Holt passed away on Sept. 8, 2023, at 89 years old due to health complications. He was in the comforting care of the adult family home where he had been living for the past two years with his family nearby. Tom was the youngest of five children born to Fred M. Holt, a talented musician, and Margaret A. (Ennis) Holt, a registered nurse.
Tom grew up in Tacoma attending St. Patrick Catholic School and graduating from Bellarmine Preparatory School in 1952. While at Bellarmine, he was a student body officer, a yell leader, and was active in the Lion's Club, ROTC, Sodality, and dance committees while acquiring cherished, lifelong friends.
He served in the U.S. Army in Germany for two years and graduated from Seattle University in 1956. In 1960, he married his childhood sweetheart, Arlene Margaret Kirishian, who he met when they were in 7th grade. They remained together for 53 years, until her passing in 2014.
Over the years, Tom enjoyed a fulfilling family life in Tacoma's North End with Arlene and their four children. His professional endeavors included business, finance, and sales positions; ultimately retiring from the Social Security Administration. He took pride in maintaining the yard, accompanying Arlene on extensive grocery shopping excursions, and skillfully barbecuing numerous shish kebab dinners, continuing the tradition he learned from his Armenian father-in-law. He was delighted with his two grandchildren and treasured his relationship with them.
Tom loved music of all kinds, kept up on the news, and enjoyed being out-and-about -- attending concerts, social gatherings, parish events, his kids' and grandkids' activities, and family reunions. He also was a car enthusiast, often fighting the urge to splurge on a spontaneous purchase.
A devout Catholic, Tom faithfully attended weekly mass at St. Patrick Church and served in various capacities there throughout his life, including as an altar boy during grade school, an usher, a Eucharistic minister, a catechism teacher, and volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul.
Tom is preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Margaret (Ennis) Holt; siblings Fred, Jack, Jim, and Betty Anne (Holt) Burns; his wife, Arlene (Kirishian) Holt; son Matthew Holt; and granddaughter Kaitlin Taylor.
He is survived by his children Pam (Kord) Taylor, Mark and Paula Holt; his grandson, Christian Taylor; his sisters- and brothers-in-law Mary (Holt) Heath, Shenora (Kirishian) and George Adishian, and Arthur Kirishian; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
His family admires that he overcame many adversities in life and we are grateful for his loyal support; his kind, charming, cheerful demeanor that touched peoples' hearts; and his legacy of humble perseverance. "Time is a great healer," he would often say. Thank you, dad/grandpa, we love you.
A funeral service will be held at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Tacoma on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at 11 a.m.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Thomas Parnell Holt, please visit our floral store.