Holley M. Linn
HANCOCK – Holley M. Linn, 84, of Hancock, died peacefully on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, at the Houghton County Medical Care Facility, where she had been a resident patient for the last four and a half years.
She was born in Huntington, West Virginia, to the late Thomas Campbell Miller and Stella Anna Lydia (Fiene) Miller. Her dad was a coal miner and the family moved often around the states of West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina, while she was growing up. She was a 1952 graduate of Pikeville Kentucky High School.
She attended Duke University where she met and married Robert Linn, a young botanist doing thesis work at Isle Royale National Park, where they moved to and started their family, living in Houghton in the winter and on Mott Island, then Davidson Island in the summer.
The family moved to the Washington, D.C. area in 1963, where they separated and later divorced.
While in the D.C. area, she furthered her Education at George Washington University, and after returning to Michigan, at MTU.
Her varied working life included teaching, librarian and court reporting/stenography. She lived in several states including Washington DC, Florida, and Pennsylvania. She returned to Hancock in 1997, and retired as the librarian from the Hancock Elementary School in 2004.
Holley was a volunteer for several organizations and events throughout her years, including the Copper Country Arts Council, the Calumet Theatre and the Portage Lake District Library. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church. Holley was extremely talented with handwork, sewing and writing. She continued to share her talents while residing at the Medical Care Facility, she was even able to set up her small sewing machine in her room and continued to create quality items for family and friends.
Holley was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Elizabeth Ann; her former husband, Robert Linn; and brother-in-law, Robert Johnsson.
She is survived by her sons, Chris and Bruce (Debra) Linn of Hancock; grandchildren, Molly (Justin) Ploe, Colleen (Charlie Solis), Emily, Oliver, Elliot Linn and Natasha Kentala, and her children, Ahri and Ezra; her sister, Fanny Johnsson of Frederick, Maryland; nephews, Mark and Erik (Connie) Johnsson; and grand nieces, Heather (Patrick) Wastler and Renee Johnsson.
As she wished, her ashes will be scattered to the Earth, and a service for family and friends will be held at 11 a.m. on August 10, 2019, at the Hancock First United Methodist Church on Quincy Street.
In lieu of other sympathies, donations may be made to Heifer International, which helps to address world hunger.
The O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home in Hancock is assisting with the arrangements.
To leave online condolences, please go to oneilldennisfh.com.