Mark Craig Holder

It is with great sadness that the family of Mark Craig Holder announces his passing on July 8, 2017, at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC, at the age of 64. 
Mark was born in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 24, 1953. He was a 1972 graduate of Royal Oak High School in Covina, California, and earned an Associate Degree in Radiologic Technology from Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California in 1975. Mark spent much of his work life in the medical profession in California, but also had a varied career in insurance, merchandizing, management, and security. His management position with Home Depot allowed him a brief stint in Missoula, Montana. One of his more interesting jobs was as a taxi driver in Palm Springs, California. After moving to North Carolina in 2014 to be near family, Mark was hired at the State Employees Credit Union in Weaverville as a financial services representative in the call center, a job that constantly encouraged him to learn new skills. 
Mark was a devoted son to his parents, Craven Royster Holder and Naomi Hazel Grover Holder, serving as their caregiver when their health was failing and settling their estate after their deaths in 2005 and 2006. In 2007, Mark made a “pilgrimage” to North Carolina, his father’s native state and one that Mark had visited infrequently in his youth. In 2014, Mark made the decision to leave California and move to North Carolina to be near family, selling his beloved Harley and five of his nine guitars so he could fit all his belongings into a Honda Civic for the cross-country trip. He settled in Mars Hill, a convenient location for his work and close to his cousins in Burnsville and Asheville. Mark loved the lush greenery of the mountains of western North Carolina, and after living in a dry desert landscape for so much of his life, was never happier here than on a rainy summer day.
Mark loved music, good food (especially Mexican), cinema, and television, and was also an avid reader. At the time of his death, he was engaged in a search for the best pizza in Western North Carolina. He was skilled on electric and acoustic guitar, and enjoyed both playing and listening to music. While in California, Mark enjoyed riding his motorcycle with friends, and loved exploring new places.
Mark will be greatly missed by aunts Dee Estep of Wichita, Kansas, and Mary Lee Rule of Raleigh, North Carolina, and cousins in Arizona, Kansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Oregon. Though much of his surviving family is in the Raleigh/Garner area, he has friends across the country who mourn his passing. A memorial service will be held at a later date for family and friends.
The family wishes to express special thanks to the staff at Mission Hospital, especially those in the Emergency Department and Med/Surg ICU, and to the EMTs who tried so valiantly to save Mark’s life. Your respectful, professional care before and during Mark’s time in the ICU will not soon be forgotten. 
Donations may be made in Mark’s memory to the SECU Foundation, PO Box 27665, Raleigh, NC 27611-7665. 

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