For Those Who Walked With Us

You sometimes find light in the places you would never expect to find it. Holt & Holt is a family-run funeral home - a rarity in an age of growing corporate consolidation in the funeral industry. In choosing them, we did not simply receive a professional service. We found a family whose own personal journey gave us something rare and irreplaceable: a friend who had walked this same soul-crushing path before us.

They accommodated our indecision and our logistical hurdles with patience and grace. They provided guidance when we had none, comfort when we were beyond consolation, and a level of professional care that reflected not a business transaction but a genuine compassion for what we were enduring. And they did it all at a generous price that reflected their heart as much as their craft.

If you feel called, please take a moment to write a Google review here. You can find them on Yelp and Facebook. Their page on Audrey can be found here, with a touching obituary written by Haley. Thank you, William, for a graveside service that did our girl proud - and for offering the comfort of someone who knows, truly knows, the weight of what we carry.

We are somewhat private people. The last thing we desired was to make a spectacle of our daughter’s suffering or to solicit sympathy and support publicly on social platforms. But even in the midst of the chaos and turmoil, when we would rarely check our phones or reach out, that support and love found its way to us regardless. We (all three of us) cherished and continue to appreciate every prayer, message, and all types of support which comes in all shapes and sizes.

It’s difficult to think of a single instance where we felt unwarranted pressure, judgement, stress, division, or undue burdens on top of the insurmountable devastation that God has placed in our path. It has redefined what loyalty, family, and community mean to us. Truly, it is impossible to grasp how we, or anyone else, could navigate this uncharted territory without the support and compassion of those closest to us. These darkest moments do have a way of bringing us together as grievances are disregarded in service of our shared purpose, pain, and loss.

Perhaps it is true; You don’t truly know someone until you’ve shared a foxhole with them. It’s unclear if or when we might truly leave this foxhole, but knowing all who walked this path with us to share in our sorrow, lending themselves to our cause - We see you, and we know you. We thank you for the respect, compassion, grace, and love that has emboldened us to keep walking this treacherous path so that we might lay our baby daughter to rest with dignity and care as we pray she finds the peace in death that we could not give her in life.

Thank you to every individual that showed up in our most vulnerable moments. If there is ever an opportunity for us to be there for you or to reciprocate those feelings, words and actions, we would not think twice.

Perhaps it was misplaced pride, anger, fear, or self-pity, but I do see clearly that there were some times in which we neglected ourselves, each other, and our responsibilities as we were consumed with Audrey’s medical crisis. We made a very poor effort to use resources or benefits that were available to us. However, it is impossible to have any regrets of time we spent in the hospital caring for nothing but our baby girl.

These things have a way of working out, and we are truly blessed and undeserving of the love and support that has already been shown. But if you do feel compelled to contribute in some way, you can use these links below to give a small amount that might help dictate what sort of headstone we can give to Audrey May as a final gift from us. A great alternative is to donate to any of the charities above in Audrey’s name. Share her story through this site. Please leave a message on the guestbook, light a candle, show her pictures, say a prayer, or reach out directly any time. Keep her memory alive as we now carry a small part of her within us. All is appreciated and nothing is expected; We are grateful that you are here.

Contribute to her Headstone