Edith Holt

Edith, or 'Aunt Sister' as she was fondly called by her family, was born on the 20th of July, 1925 in Goldsboro, North Carolina. She was the second of three daughters born to George Kirby Quinley and Edith Blaylock Quinley. In 1930, at the age of 5 her family left the tranquility of Goldsboro, to relocate in Brooklyn, New York. As a painfully shy young girl she enjoyed reading and going to the local movie theatre where, after finishing her chores on Saturday mornings, she would enjoy the films of her favorite stars such as Bette Davis, Tyrone Power, Judy Garland and Robert Taylor. She also had an affinity for the music of Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and could be counted as one of the bobby-soxers who screamed wildly for Frank Sinatra at the Paramount Theater in the early 1940's. One day Edith and her sisters were walking home from school and as they passed by a local church, they were mysteriously drawn by the sounds of a boy's choir singing a Gregorian chant. They entered the church and were so enthralled by the peacefulness therein, a complete juxtaposition to the bustle of their Brooklyn neighborhood, the sisters decided on the spot they wanted to attend the church, and after getting their mother's permission, converted to Catholicism. That church was St. Peter Claver Church, which was by then under the careful guidance of the renown Father Bernard J. Quinn. Edith was a very shy girl, and because of a noticeable stutter, spoke little. Not to be deterred by her affliction she developed the technique of tapping her feet in cadence with her speech to force herself not to repeat her vowels. She also developed the technique of beginning her sentences with consonants. If someone inquired her name, instead of saying "Edith Quinley", which could cause her to stutter, she would answer instead, "My name is Edith Quinley". Lo and behold, the technique worked! Being a shy girl did have its advantages for Edith. During the war years of the 1940's, the first great love of her life was drawn to her demure nature. Elbert Merriwether, pilot, Tuskeegee Airman, and decorated war hero, courted her. Sadly in those days, pre-arranged marriages were still common, and because of Elbert's chivalrous nature, and being betrothed to another, Edith and he would not marry. In 1956, she met the second love of her life. A dashing and gregarious Edward Haynes Holt, who pronounced upon seeing her for the first time, "I am going to marry you." One year later, with $800 dollars in the bank, they were married and soon were raising two sons, George Eric Holt, Brian Lawrence Holt, and a daughter Pamela Francis Holt. Edith was a professional woman who began her work career as a clerk for Western Union in Brooklyn. She then worked for the Bell Telephone Company, and in the years to come was instrumental in the corporate merger of Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Though her responsibilities were great, she never brought her work home with her, never wanting to forfeit a moment of her valued time with her husband, children and extended family. Edith had two sisters, Delores and Frances, and many beloved 'aunties' - Lulu, Margie, Esther, Cato, Lucy, Lizzie, Rosalie and her uncles Bob Blaylock and Frank Quinley. Her beloved cousins were Constance, Hugh-Blair, Marjorie, Jouette, Coutrene, Denise, Blair, Dina, Mary, Marie, Bubba and 'Sammy'. In addition she had many beloved nieces and nephews - Dianne, Linda, Bill, Frankie, Anthony, David, Erika, Christopher, Phoebe, Khadijah, Alyssa, Quianna, Kayla, and Kyle. She also had three grandchildren - Erica, Brynne and Jamie, and two great-grandchildren, Eva and Jordan. 'Aunt Sister' was loved by all and will be missed dearly by family and friends alike. The graveside service will be held at 11:00AM Monday, September 9, 2013 at Alamance Memorial Park by Father Paul Gabrielle. The family will receive friends following the service at Lowe Funeral Home, where they will host a reception for family and friends. Memorials may be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of Alamance-Caswell, 918 Chapel Hill Road, Burlington, NC 27215.