Cover photo for Richard Dale Holt's Obituary

Richard Dale Holt

June 11, 1943 — December 30, 2018

Richard Dale Holt

Richard D. Holt, age 75, of Dunstable, MA fought a courageous battle with glioblastoma brain cancer and passed away December 30, 2018 surrounded by his loving family.


He was born in Nashua on June 11, 1943, the son of the late Clinton and June (Snow) Holt. Richard graduated from Nashua High School in 1961.  He was also a graduate of New Hampshire Technical Institute.  From 1964 to 1967 Richard served in the Army and Reserves.

Prior to his retirement in 2009, Richard worked a wide variety of jobs.  He was an employee of Hall Farm, Holt Lumber, Sanders Associates and Micromatics.  He was a laborer, a clerk, a mechanic and whatever else needed to be done.  He truly enjoyed helping out at Tully Farm with mechanical repairs and weekly milk runs with his nephew Charlie.

Richard’s hobbies were many and varied.  His true passion in life was working on cars – especially his 1933 Ford Pickup.  He was a member of the Mid-State Antique Car Club for over 35 years and served many of those as club secretary.  He travelled near and far in pursuit of the next big find and the next big sale.  He was always at Amherst, NH; Stowe, VT.  His favorite was always the AACA Hershey Fall Meet from 1990 to 2017.

Richard and his wife also enjoyed travelling overnight or around the town.  Favorite stops included Branson, Nashville, North Carolina and Kentucky.  They visited the home of The King and saw Sir Paul McCartney while on the road.  When they returned home there were always new souvenirs and stories.

Richard was also a regular at the Hollis Flea Market where he was able to combine two of his greatest talents – treasure hunting and gabbing with anyone.  He rarely met a yard sale he didn’t like and is often credited with coining the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”


He is survived by his loving wife Virginia (Tully) Holt – whom he married in 1967 and built their home; son Robert Holt and his wife, Melissa of Dunstable, MA; son Michael Holt and his wife, Kim of Hudson, NH; his four grandchildren, Brandon, Tyler and Abbie Holt and Anthony Beaulieu; his sister, Cheryl Baker of Englewood, FL, wife of the late Edmund Baker; his sister-in-law, Pat (Terrell) Holt, wife of his late brother Tom Holt of Nashua, NH;  sister-in-law Ruth (Robinson) Tully, wife of the late Charles W. Tully, brother in-law David and his wife Mabel (Gath), brother-in-law William Tully, brother-in-law George, Jr. and his wife Susan (Wallwork), sister-in-law Linda (Tully) Chase and her husband Calvin, brother-in-law Kenneth and his wife Denise (Lonhes), all of Dunstable.  There are also several cousins, nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Richard's life at the MCGAFFIGAN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, 37 Main St., Pepperell, MA on January 3, 2019 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm.   A graveside service will take place at the Central Cemetery in Dunstable, MA on January 4, 2019 at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the GLTHS Scholarship Fund,  464 Hollis Street, Dunstable, MA 01827 or the Dunstable Rural Land Trust, 1070 Main Street, Dunstable, MA 01827.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Richard Dale Holt, please visit our flower store.

Past Services

Graveside Service

Friday, January 4, 2019

Starts at 11:00 am (Eastern time)

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