Deloris Holley

Deloris Holley, born Sarah Deloris Stuart on March 21, 1928, in her grandparents’ home in Pleasantview, Idaho, passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 9, 2026, just days before her 98th birthday.

Raised in Malad, Idaho, she cherished time spent with her Hughes grandparents, surrounded by their gardens, animals, books, and music. She could recall precisely where each flower grew in their yard and loved sitting in their parlor reading, especially poetry. An excellent student, she was valedictorian of her eighth-grade class. At fourteen, her family moved to Bonneville Park in Ogden, where she attended Ogden High School. In 1947 she married Vernal Holley. The couple lived briefly in Ogden before Vernal built their home in Wilson (now West Haven), Utah, where they raised their four children. When the children were older, Deloris worked for the federal government, retiring in 1987. After retirement, they sold their property and moved to the Monte Vista adult community in Roy.

Deloris loved family above all else. She taught her children to be kind, responsible, and honest, and she led by example as a meticulous and tireless worker. She enjoyed people and was adored by her nieces and nephews. Each Memorial Day she placed flowers on more than thirty graves of ancestors in Samaria, Pleasantview, and Malad. She found joy in bird watching, especially the bluebirds in Samaria, took pride in her Welsh heritage, and loved attending the Welsh Festival in Malad Valley.

She was preceded in death by her husband Vernal in 2000, all of her siblings, and two grandsons. Deloris is survived by her four children, Nancy Leigh Bailey of Washington, Utah; Susan Jackman (Todd) of North Logan, Utah; Stuart Vernal Holley (Miriane) of New Hill, North Carolina; and Deon Bingham (Barry) of Smithfield, Utah; as well as 15 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren. A private service will be held, with interment in the Ogden City Cemetery.