Ann L. “Annie” (Abrams) Holt

A “Celebration of Life” service will be held at Miller-Carlin Funeral Home, 3013 Roosevelt Rd, St. Cloud, on Saturday, September 12, from 1-4, including a buffet lunch. Ann L. “Annie” (Abrams) Holt died on 25 July.

Ann was born on July 13, 1945, to Harold and Florence Louise Abrams in Wadsworth, Ohio. She was tiny, weighing only 4 pounds 6 ounces, and had to stay in the hospital until she hit 5 pounds. She grew up in Wadsworth, where she worked in her dad’s IGA grocery store, straightening cans as a child and working her way through every duty except butchering meat.

Her love of animals and the outdoors began early, and she was often riding her father’s horses or getting into adventures at one of the family farms. In high school, she devoted much of her time to music, playing clarinet in concert, marching, and pep bands, was active in French club, and was a member of the National Honor Society.

After graduating from Wadsworth High School, she attended The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, receiving a BA in Psychology and being inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society. She received a full fellowship to attend the University of Minnesota, where she obtained an MA in Educational Psychology and was certified to work with developmentally-delayed children. She later obtained a BS in Elementary Education and a Kindergarten Certification from St. Cloud State University. She taught Special Education in St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids-Rice Schools for 17 years and Kindergarten for 13 years.

While at the University of Minnesota, Ann met her soon-to-be-husband Richard Holt on the steps of Pattee Hall. They married in Wadsworth, Ohio, on August 3, 1968, and lived in Willmar and Minneapolis before moving to St. Cloud in 1970. Ann was an active member of the Minnesota Education Association and was deeply involved in refugee resettlement and teaching English as a second language to St. Cloud’s immigrant communities.

Ann loved reading, gardening, and travelling. After retiring from teaching, she and Richard became world travelers, making memories and friends across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Ann loved the serendipity of travel and was often invited into the homes and workplaces of total strangers who were charmed by her curiosity about their lives and cultures. She was an avid photographer who loved the outdoors and animals, especially her family’s succession of dachshunds and stray cats.

Ann is survived by her daughter Kristin (Andrew Mercer), son Steven (Tamika Grinnell), and grandchildren Dawn, Elgin, and Tyrianna; brother Roger Abrams (Marty); and her many friends and relatives and their spouses and children. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, her parents, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Tri-County Humane Society (735 8th St NE, St. Cloud, MN 56304) or the Great River Regional Library (1300 West St. Germain Street, St. Cloud, MN 56301).