Feb. 9, 1943 – July 7, 2023
A beloved brother, husband, father and grandfather, Shirl Neils Holt, passed away at the age of 80 on July 7, 2023, at his home in St. George, Utah, after a 20-year battle with heart disease.
Shirl was born on Feb. 9, 1943, in Cedar City, Utah, to Woodruff Adams Holt and Dorithy Helen Tobiasson Holt. He grew up in Enterprise and loved ranching, farming, dancing, raising animals and playing basketball with his childhood friends.
He was a basketball star for the Enterprise Wolves in high school and was inducted into the Enterprise Hall of Fame. Shirl had a basketball scholarship to Dixie College but chose instead to volunteer for the Army in 1962. He served honorably in Germany for two years.
Upon his return, Shirl married his high school sweetheart, Mary Lydia Langford, on Aug. 22, 1964. They were sealed in the Mesa, Arizona Temple on June 15, 1976.
Shirl was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he and Mary were called to serve two missions. The first was at the Family History Center in St. George in 2002.
The second was a Denmark-Copenhagen mission in 2004, primarily serving in Reykjavik, Iceland. At this time, Shirl was able to discover his Icelandic heritage while meeting many wonderful people. Shirl and Mary traveled back to Iceland several times throughout the years.
Shirl was a kind, loving and generous man who was always ready to help anyone in need. Everyone who knew him loved him and his contagious sense of humor. He was soft-spoken and never had a bad word to say about anyone. He was an honest, hardworking man who devoted his life to providing for his family.
Shirl was blessed with 10 children, Melanie (Kason) Burgess, Daniel Holt, Deborah Holt, Timothy Holt, Stephen (Jamie) Holt, Gregory (Lindsey) Holt, Monica (Bryant) Cafferty, Brandon Holt, Andrea (Martin) Schijf and Natalie (Samuel) Murray.
He had 27 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He adored his large family; they meant the world to him.
Shirl is survived by his sister, Helen (Douglas) Drake. He was preceded in death by his son Daniel Shirl Holt, grandson Bailey Judd Burgess, father Woodruff Adams Holt, mother Dorithy Helen Holt, brothers Woodruff Leslie Holt and Brent Joseph Holt, and his sister Dorithy Yvonne Sprague.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m., on Saturday, July 15, at the Bloomington Hills Stake Center, 1130 E. Brigham Road, St. George. The viewing will be on the same date and location, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
The interment is at the Holt Family Cemetery with a luncheon to follow at the Enterprise Community Center, 525 East 400 South, Enterprise, Utah.
Condolences may be shared online, and livestreaming of the funeral can be viewed at the McMillan Mortuary website.