Carol Mae Holder

Carol Mae Welsh Holder, 84, of Vancouver, Washington peacefully entered into the presence of the Lord, December 23, 2020, at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington, surrounded by her family. Carol was born in Oberlin, Kansas, on February 18, 1936, the sixth of eight children born to George and Gertrude (Newberry) Welsh. In 1937, due in part to the Dust Bowl, the family moved to Payette, Idaho to be near her father's family. The family moved to Olympia, Washington in 1941, where two more siblings came along to complete the family. Carol graduated from Olympia High School in 1954 and was working as a clerk at a finance company in downtown Olympia when she met her husband, Thomas "Max" Holder, while he was in the Army and stationed at Fort Lewis. Max and Carol married in 1955 and moved to Benicia, California. They lived in Alabama for six months while Max attended a special training school and then returned to Freemont, California for three months before moving back to Washington State in 1963. They settled in Vancouver, Washington, as Max had transferred up to the Bonneville Power Administration, and they raised two daughters, Cindy and Melissa. Carol was a church secretary for 30 years at Hazel Dell Evangelical Free Church where the family attended for many years. She loved to sing in the choir and often provided special music by singing in duets, trio's, etc., with family members and/or friends. Carol played piano and would entertain her daughters by singing and playing all kinds of songs when they were little. Carol, along with her brothers, sisters and their families, provided special performances as the Welsh Family Singers in several churches around Washington state where the oldest to the youngest sang and/or played musical instruments. Carol loved to crochet and sew. She made several baby blankets, sweaters, hats, booties, afghans and doilies for friends, family and her grandchildren. Carol was a great seamstress and made many outfits, special occasion dresses and costumes for herself, her daughters, and later her grandchildren. She loved to entertain and there was always room at the table for guests and her daughters' friends who also affectionately called her 'mom' until the day she died. Carol loved get-togethers with family and friends, which usually involved lots of food, games and fun! Many family gatherings included Uno, Pinochle, and cribbage, as well as board and dice games. Carol and Max played card, dice and domino games every Friday night for years with close friends, Oscar and Esther Fjeld. Carol always had a positive outlook and was often heard humming or singing. She loved the Lord and prayed daily for her immediate and extended family, friends, and our nation. Her life was an example of the woman of Proverbs. She was very involved with the church's women's ministries program, provided a place to stay for visiting missionaries, and helped out with various youth group events. When the girls were in grade school, Carol served as Room Mother and went on many field trips with the girls and their classmates. Her daughters were active in sports and for many years, you could find Carol sitting right on the edge of the backstop keeping score with marks in the book you could later do a play-by-play of the game from. Everyone who met Carol loved her, as she always left a positive and memorable impression on everyone. The 'littles' as the family referred to Carol's great-grandchildren, Ryan and Ava, held a special place in her heart. She was always excited to see, snuggle and talk with them in person or on the phone. Carol was preceded in death by twin sons, Timothy and Thomas Holder, who died at birth; three sisters (LeArdis [Homan], Beverly [Frost] and Jeannette [Brummett]) and brothers (Dale and Kent Welsh); and two nieces and a nephew. Carol is survived by her husband of 65 years, Thomas 'Max' Holder; daughters Cindy (Holder) Thompson and Melissa (Holder) Ropp; sister Nancy (and Art) Lemke, brother George 'Bud' (and Carol) Welsh; grandchildren Michael Thompson, Benjamin Thompson, Allison [Thompson] (and Connor) Boynton, and Emiley Ropp; two great-grandchildren; 15 nieces and nephews and many great and great-great nieces and nephews.

Carol Mae Holder

February 18, 1936 - December 23, 2020