Obituary for Holly Holden-Eklund

 

On Thursday, September 8th, 2022, Holly Anne Holden-Eklund passed away at the age of sixty-eight in her home in Moorhead, Minnesota, after many years of declining health.

She is survived by her husband, Michael Eklund, son Benjamin Holden, brother Bruce Holden, grandsons Benjamin Holden Jr., and Dre Bang; nieces Katie (Simon) Gustavsson, Jacqui (Mike) Fitzpatrick, and Briana Eklund; nephews Darrian and Aidan Eklund, two very dear cats Ragtime and Nutmeg, and many, many friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Heather Holden.
Holly was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, to Walter “Bud” and Louise (Kennedy) Holden on January 19th, 1954, their first child. A precocious tomboy and budding artist, she had a predilection for exploring and a determination to make her own way in an era that valued conformity. Early adventures included deep ventures into the reservoir woodlands of West Boyleston and car racing as an under-aged driver, something her parents never found out.

Early in life, she found herself tied to an unworthy partner, which relationship ended traumatically and led to starting over again with a four-year-old son in tow. Life as a single mother in the seventies was a hard struggle, but it was perhaps that of which she was most proud of. It was while doing so that she finished her education, earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Worcester University (at that time College) and moving on to the great disappointment of being a handful of credits shy of her Master’s degree when the program she was enrolled in was canceled. During these years, she found great satisfaction working for the school serving foreign exchange students, in community theater, for a time running her own store, Holly’s Place, serving a low-income neighborhood, and running a group home for disabled residents.

Throughout her life, she pursued an interest in art and poetry, competing in the New England slam poetry scene in the ‘90s as a mehndi body artist for several years at the turn of the millennium and, very briefly, began as a tattoo apprentice. She enjoyed photography and illustration.

In 1997, Holly met her life partner and husband, Michael Eklund, through a chat service known as a talker. Less than five months after that meeting, she packed up everything she owned and her two yowling cats for the breakneck two-day journey to Fargo, North Dakota.

It took several years before she established herself professionally in the social services community, first as a refugee resettlement case worker and ultimately her longest position as a job search counselor and workshop instructor. She found great satisfaction in enabling the people of our community to discover the work skills and talents they didn’t know they had and transform them into better work and better lives.

Health complications set in in her final years, but she was blessed with the gift of more time from an anonymous kidney donor, for which she was very grateful. She made use of that time enjoying grandsons, cats, and home.

Her memorial service will be held at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church at 120 21st Ave. N, Fargo, North Dakota, on October 31st at 2:00 P.M. She will be interred two days later at the memorial garden there as part of the evening All Soul’s service which begins at 6:00 P.M.