Tami Lee Holt

On Saturday, August 27, Tami Lee Holt, beloved wife, of Arlington, Vermont passed away at the age of fifty-six, after a brief, valiant struggle with cancer.

Born on August 2, 1966 in Glens Falls to James and Dawn (Sexton) Butler, Tami grew up in Greenfield Center, New York with her younger sister, Michelle (Shelly). She was active in gymnastics, swimming, skiing, and dirt biking. After graduating from Saratoga High School, she studied nursing and psychology at Adirondack Community College. Post-graduation, She worked 25 years for Glens Falls Hospital as a nurses aide and quickly found great reward in home health aide work. She loved working in the field every day, seeing patients where they lived and sometimes bending the rules to make sure her patients had whatever they needed, including love.

As evidence of her motivation, ambition, and raw energy, Tami worked a second job at the Saratoga Strike Zone as a server for six years, earning the respect and friendship of her co-workers and kind customers. Her attentiveness to her bowlers and what they needed was second to none. If she ever missed a shift, her bowlers surely missed her. She loved her bowlers.

Tami had been previously married to the late Eric Sanders of Corinth, NY. Several years after his death, she met and fell in love with Brayton Holt. They were married in 2019, and lived in Arlington, VT in quiet contentment. Tami had found joy in the mountains and reduced working hours to enjoy life. After remarrying, Tami was a home health aide in the greater Bennington Vermont area with Bayada Health Care. She genuinely cared and would do anything for her patients. Ever ambitious, she had intended to resume her studies for her nursing degree this fall.

Tami was always physically active. Besides being an extremely hard worker, she particularly enjoyed aerobics, kickboxing, and swimming. Even in the early stages of her illness, she still did yoga and walked three miles daily. Beyond all, she was a loving, "people person," and always cared about the welfare of others. She is immensely missed by all who knew her.

She cherished her relationship with her sister Shelly and dear friend Sherry. Her pit bulls, Bella, Gus, and Xena were a massive source of Tami's happiness, with Gus surviving 17 years with her unwavering love for him. Gus made the move to Vermont with Tami and passed just last Summer. Tami would always encourage people to adopt and love a pit bull dog.

Tami's parents and her first husband predeceased her. She is survived by her husband, Brayton B. Holt, her sister, Shelly Stimpson, of Troy, N.Y., and stepson Gregory Holt of Laguna Beach, CA.

A private remembrance service will be held at Lake Shaftsbury State Park on Saturday, September 17 at 12:00 pm (EST). This lakeside place of beauty and solitude was her favorite place to relax and forget the world and cancer for a day.

Instead of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Second Chance Animal Shelter, 1779 Vermont Route 7A, Arlington, VT, 05250. She was an ardent supporter of dog rescue.