Timothy J. Holliday

Timothy James Holliday 19 December 1956—5 April 2023 Tim Holliday died suddenly at the age of 66 on Wednesday, April 5th, 2023, in Flint, MI. The younger son of the late Elwood and Alice Holliday, Tim was a beloved brother of Sharon, Tom (the late Louanne), and Peggy (Bernie); and family friend, Diane. Much loved by his numerous nieces and nephews, they included Tracey, Doug, Tom, Tim, and Kelle, as well as Julie, Laurie, and Lisa, along with Kaity and Ryan. Tim lived in a loving home with James Lewis, Yolanda, Dion, and Pete, as well as Richard, Siri, Gabby, and Dinah—dear friends in all. While born in Saginaw, Tim grew up in Flint, having attended St Luke's Elementary School. His youth showed notable artistic promise. Eventually the cartoonist for the school paper, his work featured the long-running character “Willie,” a Hawaiian-dressed wildman whose adventures Tim continued to illustrate throughout his life. This creative passion was matched with a tender heart and physical prowess to boot. Later, when attending Powers Catholic High School, Tim became a highly talented athlete with extraordinary coordination. He went on to play baseball and football, on offense as well as defense: in both sports Tim could throw the ball with unbelievable ease and accuracy. His interest in sports coincided with other recreational pursuits—Tim was a skier, a fisherman, and a hunter—to say nothing of the quiet man’s curious mind. He graduated from Northern High School with honors in 1975. In general, there was a consistent spark in his eyes plus a wry, sly smile on his face. At times that grin tended to grow when he was getting away with a well-intended joke or antic. His handsome looks drew comparisons to Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke (1967), one of his heroes and favorite films. It was a fitting allusion, because the fun-loving Tim often channeled his creative imagination into a mischievous, albeit gentle, nature. Once, when his nieces were visiting, his mother Alice forbade her granddaughters from having any desert, since they did not finish their dinner. In response, Tim lowered desert through the second-floor laundry shoot to his nieces in the basement. One of the funniest and finest uncles a child could desire, he once made a crystal ball and memorably told the girls their strange, exotic fortunes. It was just one of the frequent fictional stories and exciting games he created for them to play. “Uncle Tim” was always there for you. In good weather and bad he loved to fish, hunt, and snowmobile near Lake Missaukee. He also loved going out for burgers, especially at McDonalds, and his preferred relaxation was drawing as rock music played in the background. In this way, Tim enjoyed the simple things, but not without good taste. With his nephew Ryan, they shared a frequent routine of going to a burger joint and seeing a movie. Their countless discussions ranged from the finer points of Star Trek mythology and David Lynch’s style to, as with his stories, mock job interviews for government intelligence services. He liked old movies—Roman Holiday (1953) was among the last he watched—and often preferred foreign-language films—among his favorites were Kurosawa’s samurai films. His favorite scene was Spock’s funeral in Wrath of Kahn (1982), and his favorite genre was the Western. Fittingly, the last movies they saw together was a double-header: High Noon (1952) with Gary Cooper and Unforgiven (1992) with Clint Eastwood. His chief virtues were an inner strength, a quiet confidence, and a strong integrity of standing up for others which extended towards loved one and stranger alike. Able to easily make friends wherever he went, Tim was laid back, a good listener, and almost never known to complain. His patience, peacefulness, sincerity, and all-around caring disposition were reserved but constant qualities, ones easy to take as a given and all the more missed because of it. As he attended church every Sunday, the two things consistently nearest and dearest to his heart throughout life were his family and his Christian faith. On Friday the 21st of April 2023, visitation will be held at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church (at 133 Orchard Dr. in Northville, MI) from 10:30 am until the funeral liturgy at 11 am. Following the service, luncheon will be held at Genetti's Hole-in-the-Wall (on 108 E. Main St. in Northville). After the luncheon, the burial will be held at Glen Eden Memorial West (on 35667 W. 8 Mile Rd. in Livonia, MI). May he rest in peace.

Timothy J. Holliday

December 19, 1956 - April 5, 2023