Carolyn Lerdahl Holt

In loving memory of Carolyn Lerdahl Holt

Our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend was welcomed home on June 16, 2023, at the age of 80, after a difficult battle with pulmonary hypertension and heart failure.

Carolyn was born in Salt Lake City, UT, on November 15, 1942, to Ralph and Pearl (Martinsen) Lerdahl. She grew up on Christmas Street and graduated from Highland High in 1961. She developed a love of baking early on in life and had her first job working in her dad’s bakery at the age of 15. She loved her jobs at Lockhart, Grand Central, ZCMI bakery, Glaus Bakery, and most recently, Leslie’s Pastry Shop where she worked for 20 years. She reveled in making and sharing all the sweet things you're not supposed to eat.

She met Gordy on a blind date and they really hit it off. After a few months of dating, Gordy thought she was the right girl for him and wanted to get married, but first he gave her a series of “tests” just to make sure. He made her really mad (stood her up for a date) just to see how long it would take for her to forgive him (only a few hours), he snuck into her house to see how tidy her room was (neat as a pin), he took her flying to make sure she liked it (she did), and he asked her to help wax his plane to see if she was willing to work hard (she graciously agreed). She passed the tests and they were married March 16, 1963, in the Manti, Utah temple. They enjoyed a honeymoon trip to Laguna Beach, California, and continued to vacation there throughout their 60 years of marriage.

Carolyn’s love for Gordy ran deep and was put to the test again a few years later when Gordy was in a terrible plane crash which left him paralyzed. Carolyn managed to balance a job, keep a household running, take care of 4-year-old Tony and twin 2-year-olds Shelly and Crelly, and support Gordy while he recovered in the hospital over an 18 month period.

Friends were an important part of Carolyn’s life. When she and Gordy moved to Emigration Canyon, she was determined to clear a sufficient space of land to put in a pool so all her friends and neighbors could enjoy a cool swim and relax by the pool. She got busy and sawed down dozens of trees with a hand saw to get the project going. She had a talent for developing lasting friendships wherever she lived. She spent countless hours on the phone checking in on friends and enjoyed sharing a meal and a laugh with her dear friends. She single-handedly kept the post office in business by the sheer number of letters and cards she sent to friends and loved ones over the years.

Carolyn served in many capacities in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints throughout her life. Her most humbling calling came after moving to South Mountain in Draper. On her first Sunday at her new ward (the 15th ward), she was asked to be the Relief Society President…she said no 14 times (the bishop actually kept a tally of all the times he asked her), but finally accepted the calling and did a fantastic job making lifelong friends in the process.

Carolyn’s greatest joy in life was her family. She never forgot a birthday and loved showering friends and family with cards and beautiful birthday cakes that were decorated to perfection. Her spunk, determination, and love for life will live on in the hearts of her family and all who knew her. She is survived by her devoted husband, Gordon “Gordy” E. Holt, children Tony Holt, Shelly Holt, Bill Erickson (Emily), Codi Lindberg (Landon), Terry Holt, grandchildren Bridget, Breianna, Caitlin, Sydney (Jackson), Zoë, Nathan, Addie, Ava, Austin, Brielle, and Max, as well as many loved ones adopted into the family fold. She is preceded in death by her parents, siblings Ronnie, Lucille, and Kathy, and daughter Crelly.

We would like to thank the wonderful nurses and staff at Rocky Mountain Hospice and Barton Creek Assisted Living for their dedicated and compassionate care of Carolyn.

A celebration of her life will be held at Larkin Memorial Sunset Lawn, 2350 East 1300 South in Salt Lake City, UT, 84108. Respects can be paid at a viewing on June 23rd from 6-8 p.m. and June 24th from 10-11 a.m. The funeral will be held June 24th at 11 a.m. with internment at Larkin Sunset Lawn cemetery immediately following funeral services.