Katherine A Holden

Kathy Holden lived a life defined by intelligence, curiosity, generosity, a passion for excellence and an enduring love of food, music, travel, and the people she cared for most.

Kathy grew up in Greenfield, Wisconsin with her parents Roger and Janet Emling, sister Sheryl, and brothers Jim and John. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

After a few different jobs, Kathy found her home when she joined Lotus Development Corporation. She built a successful career at Lotus before continuing with Iris Associates and IBM following their acquisitions, ultimately spending nearly twenty years in software development and management. She was highly respected for her intelligence, skill, and results in every role, finishing her career as a product manager and then software manager.

One of the true highlights of Kathy’s career was being selected to work for Lotus at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. The team worked extraordinary hours, but she loved the challenge, the experiences, and the camaraderie.

Kathy dreamed of becoming a professional chef. She took a sabbatical from Lotus to attend the French Culinary Institute in New York. She graduated with honors despite returning to work and having to split her time between Massachusetts and New York. Kathy completed challenging but rewarding internships with Ron Ben-Israel Cakes, the restaurant Balthazar, and Lidia Bastianich’s PBS show "Lidia’s Italian Table," among others. She often talked about how much she loved those experiences. But, in the end, she somewhat reluctantly chose to return full time to Lotus.

Those who knew Kathy remember not only what she accomplished, but how she made people feel. She was exceptionally intelligent, generous with her time and talents, and loyal to the people she loved. She found joy in creating memorable meals, sharing music, planning adventures, and making others feel welcome.

Kathy loved hosting and cooking for friends, with "Sex and the City" watch parties a frequent reason. When friends visited Kathy at her condo, something from the Food Channel, often Iron Chef, would almost always be playing in the background. She was a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain.

A close mutual friend introduced Kathy and Russ at Lotusphere in Orlando in 2005. From that meeting forward, they were rarely apart. They married in 2006 and shared more than twenty years together.

Kathy quickly fell in love with Russ’s son Brandon and from the beginning, Kathy considered Brandon to be her son as well. She took him to his first concerts, and they bonded over music. Later they bonded over cooking, with Kathy helping Brandon become an excellent cook in his own right.

From her early years on Kathy was a devoted music lover and concertgoer and went to hundreds of concerts. She especially loved Prince and Green Day, attending many Green Day shows with and without Russ and even traveling to Amsterdam to see them. Thankfully for Russ, Billy Joe Amstrong was married.

Kathy had always been a cat person but fell head over heels in love with Russ and randon’s dog, Jett. She loved putting on music and dancing with her “punk rock dog,” something Jett always loved.

Kathy loved to travel. Before and then with Russ, she visited Bali, Japan, Morocco, Peru, Maui, Spain, Italy, England, the Netherlands, France and may other places. She lived and worked in London for a period after graduation and took a multi-week camping trip through much of central Europe. She adored Paris, and she and Russ shared many unforgettable trips there.

Throughout her life, Kathy was a very giving person. One of the many ways she showed this was in her incredible support for Russ’ cycling. She drove up Mt. Washington many times even though it terrified her. She spent many hours and days supporting Russ at events, was always there for an emergency pickup and was incredibly generous, allowing Russ to go on cycling trips with and without her. And she was so proud of Brandon’s cycling – his 2 nd and 5 th places overall on Mt. Washington in 2015 in particular.

Kathy was a phenomenal chef. One of her traditions was to design a themed multi-course birthday dinner for Russ. She would plan for weeks and prep and cook for days to make it perfect. That was Kathy. 

Kathy was a true cheesehead – she loved the Green Bay Packers, and she loved torturing her Patriots fan friends by reminding them about Desmond “bleeping" Howard and his 99-yard touchdown kickoff return in Superbowl XXXI.

And she was a literal cheese lover – she learned to make many cheeses and worked for a year after retirement as a cheese monger – she loved it.

Kathy and Russ lived in Boxborough, Massachusetts, from 2005 to 2016 before moving to “The Farm” in Lancaster, Massachusetts. They planted a large garden, fruit trees, and many kinds of berries. Kathy made jams and jellies and sold them, along with her baked goods and later Russ’s honey, at farmers’ markets and other events under the name “Kat’s Bakery and More.”

During the last decade of her life, Kathy faced extraordinary health challenges with remarkable courage, surviving two battles with cancer. But the lasting effects of those illnesses profoundly changed her life. Kathy’s father, Roger Emling, passed away in 1993.

Kathy is survived by her husband, Russ Holden; son Brandon Holden and daughter-in- law Celeste Mora; her mother, Janet Emling; her sister, Sheryl Lenzke; brothers Jim Emling and John Emling; and their spouses and children, as well as many cousins and aunts. Her dogs – Annie, Natasha and Mia miss her terribly, as does her cat Tatiana.