Mark James Holt
April 26, 1960 ~ March 24, 2016
Mark James Holt (Age 55)
Mark James Holt, age 55 of Great Falls, VA passed away on March 24, 2016 in Falls Church, VA. Born in Banbury, England, Mark was a competitive motocross racer who later became a collector of antique motocross bikes and motorcycles. He became a mechanical engineer and worked for Vickers Defence Systems in Leeds, England, until he was sent with a team of other engineers to rescue the American marine engineering company, Jered Brown Brothers in Brunswick, GA, where he later met the love of his life and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Over the course of his career, Mark was instrumental in the successes of the British Challenger II Main Battle Tanks; the U.S. Navy's ELCAS(M) project and Cargo Weapons Elevators of the LPD-17 shipbuilding program; Boeing's Delta IV Rocket launch table; and program management projects while working for Dynamics Research Corporation of Washington, D.C., under contracts with NAVAIR Enterprise AIRSpeed, USMC Headquarters' Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) program, PBGC, FDIC, and U.S. Treasury, among others. He was a Certified Theory of Constraints Jonah, Certified Master Black Belt, and ASQ Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt who most recently worked as Lean Six Sigma Coordinator for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington. In the three short years he was there, two of which while battling cancer, Mark had a tremendous impact on BEP, improving efficiency and effectiveness of processes across the organization. Under Mark's leadership and guidance, BEP grew its Lean Six Sigma program from its infant stages to a mature model, resulting in saving BEP millions of dollars. He developed a LSS Green Belt training program which resulted in BEP developing its own LSS resource capability. Mark also led the LSS Green Belt mentoring program at BEP which helped employees obtain their Green Belt certification. He was always willing to help out his fellow employees regardless of how busy he was, and he never complained. Mark was a true professional and an extremely hard worker. In 2014, Mark was recognized as the Bureau employee of the year in recognition for his hard work, dedication, and accomplishments. He was also an avid fan of Liverpool Football Club, Formula 1, NASCAR and Velocity TV.
Mark is survived by his loving wife of 19 years, Gail Holt; adored twin daughters, Lizzie and Maddie Holt; his parents, Albert and Rhondda Holt of Brailes, England; sister, Jackie Carole Dick (Bill) of Ibiza, Spain; father and mother in law, William and Earlene Crews of Kingsland, GA; sister in law, Tammy Dame (Harvey Blumsack) of Spartanburg, SC; nieces, Rheanne Sanders (Craig), Ruth Sedden (Robin), Sarah and Kelly Dame; as well as his great niece, Kylie Dame; and beloved companion, Tucker. He is also survived by his BEP family who will miss him tremendously. Family and friends may gather on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 from 3:30 p.m. until the time of service at 5:30 p.m. at Dranesville United Methodist Church, 1089 Liberty Meeting Ct, Herndon, VA 20170. Interment will be held at a later date in Saint Simons Island, GA. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to support Multiple Myeloma Research at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center; or given to INOVA Health Foundation of Falls Church, VA or Dranesville United Methodist Church in Herndon, VA.
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
Mark James Holt, age 55 of Great Falls, VA passed away on March 24, 2016 in Falls Church, VA. Born in Banbury, England, Mark was a competitive motocross racer who later became a collector of antique motocross bikes and motorcycles. He became a mechanical engineer and worked for Vickers Defence Systems in Leeds, England, until he was sent with a team of other engineers to rescue the American marine engineering company, Jered Brown Brothers in Brunswick, GA, where he later met the love of his life and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Over the course of his career, Mark was instrumental in the successes of the British Challenger II Main Battle Tanks; the U.S. Navy's ELCAS(M) project and Cargo Weapons Elevators of the LPD-17 shipbuilding program; Boeing's Delta IV Rocket launch table; and program management projects while working for Dynamics Research Corporation of Washington, D.C., under contracts with NAVAIR Enterprise AIRSpeed, USMC Headquarters' Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) program, PBGC, FDIC, and U.S. Treasury, among others. He was a Certified Theory of Constraints Jonah, Certified Master Black Belt, and ASQ Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt who most recently worked as Lean Six Sigma Coordinator for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington. In the three short years he was there, two of which while battling cancer, Mark had a tremendous impact on BEP, improving efficiency and effectiveness of processes across the organization. Under Mark's leadership and guidance, BEP grew its Lean Six Sigma program from its infant stages to a mature model, resulting in saving BEP millions of dollars. He developed a LSS Green Belt training program which resulted in BEP developing its own LSS resource capability. Mark also led the LSS Green Belt mentoring program at BEP which helped employees obtain their Green Belt certification. He was always willing to help out his fellow employees regardless of how busy he was, and he never complained. Mark was a true professional and an extremely hard worker. In 2014, Mark was recognized as the Bureau employee of the year in recognition for his hard work, dedication, and accomplishments. He was also an avid fan of Liverpool Football Club, Formula 1, NASCAR and Velocity TV.
Mark is survived by his loving wife of 19 years, Gail Holt; adored twin daughters, Lizzie and Maddie Holt; his parents, Albert and Rhondda Holt of Brailes, England; sister, Jackie Carole Dick (Bill) of Ibiza, Spain; father and mother in law, William and Earlene Crews of Kingsland, GA; sister in law, Tammy Dame (Harvey Blumsack) of Spartanburg, SC; nieces, Rheanne Sanders (Craig), Ruth Sedden (Robin), Sarah and Kelly Dame; as well as his great niece, Kylie Dame; and beloved companion, Tucker. He is also survived by his BEP family who will miss him tremendously. Family and friends may gather on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 from 3:30 p.m. until the time of service at 5:30 p.m. at Dranesville United Methodist Church, 1089 Liberty Meeting Ct, Herndon, VA 20170. Interment will be held at a later date in Saint Simons Island, GA. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to support Multiple Myeloma Research at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center; or given to INOVA Health Foundation of Falls Church, VA or Dranesville United Methodist Church in Herndon, VA.
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle
RIP my dear friend
We’re going to miss you, but I know you will always have a special place in the AIRSpeed Hall of Fame.
Gail, Sam and I were deeply saddened to hear about Mark’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Lizzie, Maddie and the rest of your family. Please feel free to call upon us if we can be of any assistance. With deepest sympathy – Jerry and Sam Picard
Gail – So sorry for your loss, I used to work with Earlene at the City of Kingsland and loved hearing her stories of your sweet family. Thinking of you and your precious girls. –Cindy Hagemann
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family Gail. I worked with your Mother and have heard her family stories for years but this is a such a sad one for you and your family. Know that Mark is in heaven and watching over you and your girls.
I’m sorry for your loss. Mark was a great man and had a great impact on my life and was good mentor. I valued his expertise with process improvement.
I will always remember working with you Mark. God bless you & your family brother.
I will always remember working with you Mark. God bless you & your family brother.
Prayers and thoughts are with you each and every day. May God’s precious light and love enfold you and bring you peace and comfort through this most difficult time.
The Christie family is heartbroken. We shall keep you happy and smiling in our hearts, always, Mark. We will support your loving family in anyway we possibly can for as long as we can. Julee feels particularly struck by your passing, as you and she embarked on this battle simultaneously. She will continue her battle to spite the injustice of your passing. Too soon for you to leave us. Too hard of a fight not to feel the weight of it lifted, even for a moment, while here on this earth. The only light to penetrate the darkness that your passing has brought, is that you are free of that pain, that struggle, that search for a new, tolerable normal from which to carry on, despite it all. You are free.
Gail, so sorry for your loss,prayers to you and your family.
Mark was a very genuine and kind man that display tremendous courage. It’s my pray that he knew the Lord Jesus as his Lord & Savior. God Bless the family.
I had the honor and privilege of working with Mark at BEP. Mark was our LSS guru and touched many of us with his, intelligence, support, leadership, wit, humor and kindness. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. May God bless and keep you and your girls, Mark is watching over you. With deepest sympathy —
I had the honor and privilege of working with Mark at BEP. Mark was our LSS guru and touched many of us with his, intelligence, support, leadership, wit, humor and kindness. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. May God bless and keep you and your girls, Mark is watching over you. With deepest sympathy —
Gail, Maddie and Lizzie you are in our hearts and prayers during this very difficult time. Keep the wonderful, fun memories close to your heart as you make it through these next few days, weeks and months. We will be here to help support you as you all figure out your new normal, you will not be alone. He was an amazing man and will be missed very much. Keep all this love in your heart.
I will miss Mark tremendously. He has been a great mentor, supportive co-worker, and a good friend here at the BEP. Things feel very different here without him…I keep expecting an email scheduling a meeting. But I keep reminding myself that earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. Praying for the family.
God’s peace and comfort be with you all. Prayers. With love, Candy.
I would just like to say that I send my condolences to you and your family Mrs. Holt and I pray that God keeps his hand of protection on you and your children in this time. Mark was a great guy and it was a pleasure to work with him on my Lean Six Sigma projects. He will surely be missed.
Words cannot express how deeply saddened we are at the loss of Mark. He was my supervisor and mentor and will be greatly missed.
I am deeply saddened by the news of Mark’s passing. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
I am deeply saddened by the news of Mark’s passing. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
I worked with Mark at BEP in the Lean Six Sigma area and I admired his dedication to his work and setting the bar high. I also admired his work ethic even in the battle with his health over the last two years. He will be missed by many.
Mark will truly be missed. He was my mentor for the past three years in the Lean Six Sigma program. I will cherish all the professional advice and lessons he bestowed upon me. Mark challenged me to be a leader, a trait he exhibited every single day. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
BEP will not be same; we will truly miss Marks smile and ever pleasant attitude. I am proud to have worked with such a genuine and enthusiastic man. May God bless you and keep you near.
I would see Mr. Holt in passing when he came into work. I didn’t work with him closely but he always spoke and was warm and direct in his eye contact and how he said “good morning officer” and “enjoy your day”. I am sad to hear of his passing. My condolences to his wife and his daughters. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
My sadness and condolences for the loss of a good friend and coworker, Mark, may you rest in peace.
It was a pleasure to work with Mark at BEP. Even through all that he was going through, he never let it stop him from giving his all. My prayers are with his wife, children, and love ones during this time.
Mark will surly be missed. It was great to work with him on the 5S project here at the Bureau of Engraving. I have learned a lot from him during his classes and in meetings. I always looked forward to his knowledge, wit and humor. Mark will be in my memories forever. RIP
While I didn’t have a close working relationship with Mark, whenever I encountered him, he was always pleasant & forthcoming with any questions I had pertaining to the Lean Six Sigma classes. He will be sorely missed as he was a wonderful human being. The world would be a much better place with more people like him. My deepest condolences to the family. Hopefully fond memories of Mark will help comfort you during this difficult period. In Sympathy, Elizabeth Pittman
Dear Gail, Lizzie, & Maddie, We are so deeply sorry for your loss and am ever grateful to have had spent time with you all in VA. Mark’s life-fueled voice, beautifully cheerful spirit, and immense love for you and the girls rings in my mind when I think of our time together. Please know each of you are being held in our hearts. We miss you and are praying for your peace. Love, Erin & Andy
I met Mark working on the Lean Six Sigma project for Destruction Branch. Whenever he was training a class, he would always mention the success of the Lean Six Sigma done in Destruction Branch. His pride for his work will be remembered by one and all. My prayers are with you and your family. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith 2 Timothy 4, 7
Gail and girls, So sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Our prayers and thoughts are with you all. Our hearts break for you & the girls. We love you all. Aunt Alice Sue & Uncle Bobby
Thinking of you Gail, Maddie and Lizzie at this time. We shall remember Mark with respect, with admiration and a huge, huge amount of affection. Phil and Marilyn Walker,
Gail – we will always cherish our wonderful memories and the many times together with you and Mark and fortunately there are so many. We are here for you and the girls always, so please don’t ever hesitate to reach out. Our hearts and prayers are with you and your family. xoxo
We got to know Mark through our son John. Mark and Gail very kindly invited us to stay with them on St Simon’s island which we did on a couple of occasions. We had two very happy holidays with them which we will always remember and we grew to love them both. We knew Mark as a lovely man who loved his family so much. His girls meant everything to him. Mark you’ll be truly missed . R I P Jean and Allan
Gail, I worked with Mark for many years at Jered. He always was very respectful to me and we became good friends. We still talk about the good impact he had to our company, and we missed him when he left. My prayers go out to you and the girls. We will always remember him and it brings us joy and a smile when we think about him. Our deepest condolences. Ken
Gail & Family We are very sorry for your loss. We worked with Mark at Jered in Brunswick in the early days. Our prayers and thoughts go out to you.
May you feel the comfort that God and Family wish for you
I worked with Mark at BEP. He was a very dedicated and humorous man. The office will not be the same. My thoughts and prayers are with the family. Rest in Peace my friend.
Gail, Maddie, Lizzie – Last night, when I learned of your loss, I was truly saddened. I’ll never forget our fun afternoons and nights out on Nike field when Mark’s amazing sense of humor kept everyone laughing. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Claire
Dear Gail, We were saddened to hear of Marks passing. He was a good man. Our sincere condolences to you and the girls. Rick & Connie Edger
Gail, Lizzie & Maddie I am deeply saddened and you have my support at any time. Mark was very special and will be missed by so many, he made a difference in my life and lived every day to change the world to make it better. I am truely sorry for your loss, but he is at peace now, in a better place with God. ~ Craig Hooson, St Simons island, Georgia
Gail, Lizzie & Maddie I am deeply saddened and you have my support at any time. Mark was very special and will be missed by so many, he made a difference in my life and lived every day to change the world to make it better. I am truely sorry for your loss, but he is at peace now, in a better place with God. ~ Craig Hooson, St Simons island, Georgia
Gail, Lizzie & Maddie I am deeply saddened and you have my support at any time. Mark was very special and will be missed by so many, he made a difference in my life and lived every day to change the world to make it better. I am truely sorry for your loss, but he is at peace now, in a better place with God. ~ Craig Hooson, St Simons island, Georgia
I worked with Mark for many years both in the UK at Vickers, & in the US at Jered, where he always showed great dedication & commitment. We became close friends, & I really appreciated his support & sense of humour. When Mark was seconded to Jered in the US, he requested that I come over to help, during this period I was introduced to Gail & it was plain to see that they were made for each other. Mark demonstrated the same commitment to Gail & his future in the US by gaining his US citizenship. In 1997 I was honoured to be invited to attend their wedding, & was invited to stay again when subsequently on holiday in the US. Mark & Gail were also kind enough to invite my parents to stay with them on several occasions, & my mother & Gail stayed in contact. It was through this connection I learned of Marks passing, & although we knew Mark was ill it was still a tremendous shock. Mark you will be greatly missed. Gail, Lizzie & Maddie our thoughts are with you.