Elizabeth Anne Holba in her 94th year, passed away peacefully in her sleep, on the evening of March 6th between the hours of 10 and 11p.m. in Thornbury, Ontario.
Liz, ‘Libby for friends and family’, was born in Woodstock, Ontario on March 30th, 1930. She is predeceased by her husband Stanley A. Holba of Mimico (May, 2022), Wilfred Jefferson Dow of Goderich (October, 1976) and E. Bernice Billington - Dow of Peterborough (summer/ early fall 1986).
She is survived by her two sons Stephen Jefferson ‘Jeff’ and Andrew, daughter-in-law Shannon and granddaughter Mary Beth. Also survived by her nephew Paul Holba, his son Colton, Dianne and Nick Hinton and their daughter Emma and older brother Matthew.
Libby ‘Liz’ had an old soul who always had time for most everyone, throughout her very long life! I cannot think of anyone whom actually ever really intimidated her in our lifetimes. A beautiful soul as well and a person with integrity, good character …overflowing with life and much ability in her formative and later years! U of Toronto alumni, she trained in all high mathematics, physics and chemistry at the B.Sc. level. Always taking care of her immediate family, Liz then worked for a top Law firm in Toronto into the early fifties...all the while waiting for Stan to come back from training in Newark, New Jersey with Prudential. Truly in love for almost 69 years, Stan and Liz were married in Toronto in early July 1953. Soon after working and saving money, Jeff (1957) and Andy (1961) came along to round out the family. Skiing in the winter and fishing in the summer in her father’s homebuilt plywood boats, Liz was a fisher-person, birder, animal advocate and a very early (Harrowsmith) recycler in the early seventies. Nothing intimidated or held her back in her beliefs and complete devotion to her family(s). An avid card and book reader, Liz was always there with much encouragement and advice for all of us in our family! I will personally never forget the Winnipeg trip with all of us to see The Queen in 1970, great!
She was the only person in the Blue Mtn’s to make sure our FIS points were properly calculated on time and sent to the then SOD office in Willowdale, Ont. This made all the difference for our young racers. A life well lived seems like an understatement for her and her husband and both were inducted as Life time members at the TSC in 1999/ 2000 and onward. Unfortunately, Alzheimer’s began to take its toll during the last aspects of her very long life as well as our fathers at a later age in his eighties. One adapts as needed, always moving forward.
Elizabeth, family historian, keeper of the positive and of faith extraordinaire, will be interred at a small cemetery in Northern Bruce Peninsula in the near future where the spring warblers abound, trout lurk and only quite special, incredible people are laid to rest. She is just in the next room or forest, over yonder smiling as she always did so well!
A funeral service will be conducted at St. George’s Anglican Church on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 11 o’clock.
As your expression of sympathy, donations to the World Wildlife Fund would be appreciated and may be made through the Ferguson Funeral Home, 48 Boucher St. E., Meaford, ON N4L 1B9 to whom arrangements have been entrusted. www.fergusonfuneralhomes.ca