Obituary of Mark Bennett Holt

Mark Bennett Holt fought hard against a beast for 18 months. He left this world surrounded by his family hugging him, in our home, on December 9th, 2019. Mark is survived by his wife, Polly; his sons, Jeremy and Zach; brothers,  Jim (Kristen) and Robert (Kari); many nieces and nephews, and a loving stepfather, Fred Strain. He is preceded in death by his father, James; his mother Patricia; his sister Deborah; and his beloved niece Christine "Cricket" Mingo.

Mark was born on June 6th, 1961 in San Mateo, California. He had fond memories as a child going to the YMCA. At 9 years old, his family moved to Nice, where he was within walking distance to the lake. We were told many stories about his time spent as a young boy fishing. They eventually built a home in Kelseyville where Mark enjoyed many days in the orchards on his dirt bike with his best friend, Jody Odom. In 1977, Mark raced Hangtown and took 3rd place in the 125cc class, a proud moment for the entire family. They lived part-time at Robin Hill, managing a campground. Mark loved water-skiing while living there. He had a wonderful stepfather, Fred Strain, whom he loved dearly. He graduated from Clear Lake High in 1979. He worked for his mentor, Lou Bacci, who he was very fond of. They did masonry work, and Mark was especially talented at this trade due to his artistic skills.

In 1984, Mark met Polly. They were inseparable from day one. In 1986, they got married and began a life filled with lots of fun, where there was camping, water skiing, dirt biking, and a lot of fishing. There was a lot of fun to be had. In 1989, they had their first son, Jeremy Michael Holt. Mark was the proudest man you could imagine. Jeremy joined them in their fishing and camping activities. In 1994, their second son came, Zachary Bennett Holt. Once again, Mark was in love with his new son, who happened to be the spitting image of Mark. Soon, the focus was on t-ball, soccer, and eventually little league. Then came BMX racing. Mark threw himself in not only as a dad but as a father-figure to many neighborhood kids and his niece, whom he loved so much, Brandi. We soon bought a vehicle that could hall 8 people because we took them all to the different race tracks across Northern California. He also raced BMX himself--and he won a lot in his age group. That was a very fun period of time.

In 1999, Mark and Polly started Mark Holt's Pest Control. The business took off like a wildfire. Mark had many customers that loved and respected him. Mark's sons eventually obtained their licenses and worked with their father at different times. Mark taught them a good work ethic and to always do the best they could for their customers.

Mark will be forever missed, not only by his family but many of his very close friends. They will think of Mark with every fish they catch and every golf ball they hit for the rest of their lives.

A memorial service will be held at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary on Saturday, December 21st, 2019 at 1:00 PM.  We are hoping to see you all there.