Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

July 28, 2024

CHARLOTTE - Maud Edith Holly, 87,  affectionately known as “Tante Didith” went home to be with Jesus on Sunday, July  28, 2024. Edith was not just a beloved sister, aunt, and friend;  she was also a retired pharmacist, a pianist, the family historian and most of all, a lover of Jesus.

Edith was born in Cap-Haitien, Haiti on January 19, 1937.  She was the third of eleven children born to Dr. Theodore Ambroise Holly and Mrs. Lucie Florence Holly.  Edith attended primary school in Cap-Haitien; and secondary school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where the Holly family eventually settled.

As an adult, Edith attended the Faculte de Medecine et de Pharmacie in Port-au-Prince, and graduated with a degree in Pharmacy in 1959.  She worked as a Pharmacist in Haiti for many years, before eventually relocating to the United States after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

She had a lifelong love of playing the piano.  In her youth she played with her dear “Papa,” a musician in his own right, who often played alongside her on the violin.  Even until her final days,  Edith could be found playing songs from her youth. She loved singing hymns that she memorized throughout her life.

Edith was cherished as the family historian, meticulous researcher and keeper of family photos and records.  She could always be counted on as the Holly family storyteller passing on the oral history of the Holly legacy to the younger generation. 

Edith continued in the legacy of her great grandfather, James Theodore Holly who was a missionary and the first African-American Bishop of the protestant Episcopal church. She served as an active member of the church by participating and organizing church events and often leading women’s Bible studies.

Edith had a simple and genuine faith; she simply loved Jesus.  From the time she migrated to the United States until 2022, she was a beloved member of the Good Samaritan Church in the Bronx, New York.  When she relocated to North Carolina in 2023, she faithfully attended Central Church in Charlotte, NC.  She loved to sing and worship till the very end.

Edith is survived by her sister Michelle Yanick Clodomir, her brothers-in-law Gerard Clodomir Sr. and Pastor Jacques Cochy, her sisters-in-law Elvire Holly and Marie Gardite Jean-Francois, and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral Services for Edith will be held 2:00 PM Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at Central Church, 5301 Sardis Rd, Charlotte, NC 28270. Her family will receive friends begining at 1:00 PM, prior to the service.

Graveside services will take place 11:30 AM, Friday, August 9, 2024 in Greenfield Cemetery, Uniondale, NY. Visitation prior to interment will be held between 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM at Malverne Funeral Home, 300 Hempstead Ave, Malverne, NY. 

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.