Obituary for
Alberta Holtz
Alberta (Abby) Brinkley Holtz (aged 94) passed away February 23, 2017 in Vero Beach FL.
A 13-year resident of Oak Harbor in Vero Beach, Mrs. Holtz was born February 13, 1923 in Clarksburg, WV, the daughter of George Ross Brinkley, Sr. and Hannah Spelsburg Brinkley. She was the wife of the late Edgar Wolfe Holtz, who passed away December 1, 2003. Ed and Abby were married in 1944 and lived for many years in Washington DC before moving part-time to Vero Beach in 1987. In 1960 she and her husband purchased a 125-acre farm outside New Market, MD which they restored as a weekend retreat and which the family still enjoys.
She is survived by two daughters: Diana Jim (Ballard) Jamieson of Chevy Chase MD, and Heidi Holtz of Fayetteville NY; four grandchildren: Katherine Jamieson and husband Ben Gundersheimer of Whately MA, Daniel Jamieson and wife Jennie Rabinowitz of Chevy Chase MD, Colin Holtz of Atlanta GA, and Eleanor Holtz-Eakin of New Haven CT; and two great-grandchildren: Elijah Jamieson and Naomi Jamieson. She was predeceased by her brother, Dr. George Ross Brinkley, Jr. who died in 1982 and sister-in-law Jean Tonkin Brinkley, who passed away in 2009.
Mrs. Holtz was an active volunteer and board member for several nonprofits, dedicating her time for many years as a docent at the Smithsonian Institution and Hillwood Museum in Washington, DC and then later at the Vero Beach Museum of Art and on the board of the Riverside Theater. She created art in many forms, and was especially noted by friends and family for her custom holiday cards, vivid watercolors and collages. An amateur but skilled interior designer, Mrs. Holtz and her husband restored and renovated several homes in their lifetime.
Mrs. Holtz attended Stephens College and graduated from Denison University in 1944. She was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority.
A celebration of her life will be held at Somerset House in Oak Harbor on Monday February 27 from 2:30 to 3:30 pm.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Vero Beach Museum of Art Holtz Memorial Fund or to the Alzheimers Association.
