NICHOLAS HOLT

ELLSWORTH – Nicholas Holt, 78, a creative spirit, husband father, and architect, died peacefully after a long illness April 10, 2006, in Bangor. Born July 16, 1927, in Cape Elizabeth, to Margaret Thurston and Roscoe Holt, his creed included a pursuit of “the importance of life in all aspects and the value of full engagement!” Nick loved music and the arts, pursued political change and architectural design and enjoyed sailing and outdoor adventures. Early adventures included joining U.S. Army intelligence under General MacArthur in Japan from March 1946-Sept. 1947. He wed Patricia Ann Green of New York, N.Y. in 1960, in Westerly, R.I. and settled in Ellsworth, raising three daughters. He grew up in Maine and New York City, graduated from the Putney School in Vermont in 1945, Princeton University in 1949 and graduate school in 1950, where he studied architecture. Design of the Dr. Charles C. Knowlton School brought him to Ellsworth in 1958, where he opened Krumbhaar & Holt, the then eastern-most architectural firm in the Unites States. He built a thriving practice statewide. He was a member of the Maine A.I.A. and served as president. His firm’s Maine State Information Center in Kittery still welcomes people to the state. A point of pride was his firm’s prize-winning design of the Solon School, Solon, which incorporated the town’s school bell, saved from fire, into the new school design. His designs were noted for his energy conservation and innovative low-income housing, nursing home and school designs. In 1970, with other community leaders, Nick co-founded Action Opportunities, now the thriving Child and Family Opportunities, dedicated to services for pre-school children and low-income families in Hancock and Washington Counties. He served on its board of directors until 1995. He was dedicated to numerous community interests including the Hancock County Democrats, Rotary Club, the Ellsworth Players, Gilbert & Sullivan Society, the Hancock County Historical Society, Community Concerts of Hancock County, Kneisel Hall, the Surry Opera Company, Sorrento Yacht Club, the Unitarian Universalist Church and the Grand Auditorium. He also served as president for several of these groups and served on the board of Unity College and was its chair under several presidents. As a youth he led biking and sailing trips with students internationally, beginning a lifelong love of travel and outdoor excursions. Nick raced his Luder sailboat every summer in Frenchman’s Bay, enjoying amateur crews and occasional victories. Host to numerous foreign visitors, he also enjoyed expeditions to their homes to see life as others live it, including travel with his wife, Patty, to South America and Europe. Always ready for an adventure, he traveled to Russia and Japan with the Surry Opera Company. His last trip was to China in 1998 with his brother, Thurston. Despite a progressive loss of his faculties through disease, he remained a loving and curious individual who continued to enjoy music, photography, art, fresh air and the company of visitors. He is survived by his wife, Patricia of Ellsworth; brother, Thurston Holt of Cape Elizabeth; his sister, Margaret and brother-in-law, Rymund Wurlitzer of Milwaukee, Wisc.; his cousin, Martha Holt Giles of Portland; his daughters, Victoria of Washington, D.C., Christina of Portland and Rebecca of Nyack, N.Y.; and many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his brother, Dr. Prescott Holt. The family is grateful to the devoted nursing and compassionate care given at Westgate Manor in Bangor. A memorial service will be held 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 15 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Ellsworth. Arrangements are by Jordan-Fernald, 113 Franklin St., Ellsworth. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Child and Family Opportunities, P.O. Box 648, Ellsworth, ME 04605 or the Association for Frontal Temporal Dementia, 100 North 17th St., Suite 600, Philadelphia, PA 19103.