Marley Holte has touched all of us in San Benito County, even
those of us who never met him. Even among the many who first made
his acquaintance in trips to the principal’s office, when we were
ordered to surrender a teacher’s note chronicling our
transgressions, there was never any dread.
Marley’s sparkling blue eyes gave away a generous spirit that no
11-year-old could overlook.
Marley Holte has touched all of us in San Benito County, even those of us who never met him. Even among the many who first made his acquaintance in trips to the principal’s office, when we were ordered to surrender a teacher’s note chronicling our transgressions, there was never any dread.
Marley’s sparkling blue eyes gave away a generous spirit that no 11-year-old could overlook.
Holte died last week. He was 80. He was a teacher, a principal and a business leader. But most of all, he was a tireless supporter of all the right things in San Benito County. He worked for a homeless shelter, and we got one. He worked for kids, and our community has a youth sports program without peer. He was a compulsive volunteer.
Most important, Holte’s enthusiasm turned others into compulsive volunteers. Thus, his efforts were multiplied throughout the community.
The free holiday dinners open to all comers every Christmas and Thanksgiving for the last 20 years hint at his spirit. Rather than spending his holidays with family and friends, he presided each year at a table of plenty, one he and scores of other volunteers set for strangers.
One observer who knew him well said that Holte’s passing signals a turning point, a time for a new generation of people to give of themselves a little more than they think they can. The rewards to the community and to the self are enormous. To honor Holte’s legacy, that’s the least we can do.
True wealth is found in what we leave behind. Marley Holte is the richest man we’re ever likely to know.
