Birth date: May 29, 1931 Death date: Nov 15, 2020
Grant Harold Holdaway, age 89, passed away on November 15, 2020 at his home surrounded by family. He was born May 29, 1931 in Tonga to Elmer Harold Holdaway and Norma Sumsion, who were serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Ch Read Obituary
Our condolences from Orem Center For Massage. He was one of my favorite clients and I’ll miss him.
Grant was an amazing man. I had the privilege as a very young man of working by his side in the fields. He was an example of hard, honest work. As a faithful member of the Church he blessed the lives of countless ward and stake members. We will never forget the beautiful arrays of flowers that he would provide and donate for our stake conferences. When he was severely injured during an early morning run (he had collided with a bicyclist) one of the members of our stake presidency said, "Any lesser man would have been killed in that accident." He was a true example of diligence, obedience and enduring to the end.
We send our condolences to his wife and family. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Ronald and Barbara Stoddard
As a youth growing up in Vineyard living close to Grant, I was always blessed by his example: as a scouter, as a teacher, as a hard worker, and as a gentle man demonstrating great faith in the Savior. Later in life as he started running, he was always an inspiration. What a great legacy he has left for his family! Robert Harding
I am grateful for those in my life that took time to help me be a better person. One such person is Grant Holdaway.
When I was 12 years old, Grant Holdaway was my church youth leader and scoutmaster. I looked up to Grant and really enjoyed learning from him. One day Grant asked if I would be interested in working for him at his garden center known as Vineyard Garden Center. I was excited about the opportunity and took it.
I would work a few hours after school each day and then a full 8 hours on Saturday. During the summers, I would work full-time Monday through Saturday. The work at times was hard. I would be asked to weed fields, weed around the garden center and weed anywhere else there were weeds.
I remember helping harvest pumpkins in the fall and learning to how to catch pumpkins as I stood in the truck and have the pumpkins thrown up at me. The goal was to not drop the pumpkin and to keep the stem in place.
Overall, Grant taught me how to work. He worked harder than anyone I know. He was very knowledgeable about many topics and taught me many things while in the fields or working on projects together. Grant inspired me to be better and to do better. He inspired me to work hard, even when the work was not considered “fun”. Grant taught me the importance of a sense of humor. He would make jokes if he made a mistake. He would joke with customers and with me. He didn’t take things too seriously.
On top of all this, Grant was an example of one who lives the gospel of Jesus Christ. He served others all the time, just like Christ would have. I know that he saw that I needed some guidance and I think that is why he hired me. He could have hired someone else that was more skilled than I, but he took me on as a project and wanted to help me be better.
Grant is my hero. I look up to Grant. Grant taught me so many life lessons. The great thing about Grant is his humility. He didn’t help me for some reward, or to check something off a list. He did it because he genuinely cares about people. He wants to help people be the best they can be. And that is probably what I have learned the most from Grant.
I hope to be like him. I hope to be a positive influence in the lives of others.
Heaven received a valiant one this week. And, as many have pointed out, we are pretty sure he has already planted a garden since his arrival in heaven.
I'm so sorry to hear of Grant's passing. What a great man. I was privileged to grow up next to him and his family. I was always amazed at the energy he had. He always had a kind genuine word for all. He will be missed, but what a joyous reunion he's having with family and friends who have passed on.
I am very sad for the passing of a great man, and friend! What ever question I had for my garden he always had the right answer. He always let me have some of the corn leaves at no charge. when he close the garden center I would go with my questions to his house. He gave me free tomatoes, peppers and of course the corn leaves. I always made the comment that there was a huge castle in heaven waiting for him because of his generosity and his response was "oh no! The Lord gave me all of this and I am just sharing what he gave me"! I know he is now enjoying his big castle in heaven with his wife. I'll miss him so much! until we meet again.
Norma Vineyard
We lived next door to "Pumpkin Land" and enjoyed the excitement of the Fall season. Grant was always very generous to us and would see to it that we had plenty pumpkins, vegetables and flowers. He knew I bottled pickles so he would see to it that I'd have a half bushel every year. He'd say, "Jan, Barbara would be to lunch at 1:00 so you come and get your cucumbers then." Barbara didn't like Grant giving away their produce so he always did it on the sly. We loved him so much and always spoke highly of him. I have hundreds of fond memories of Grant and his kindness to my family and others. He was a very caring and thoughtful friend. He set a high standard for all of us to follow. He will be missed,
I'll never forget the pause in his voice when he saw how heavy my backpack was. It weighed the same as I did. As a scout setting out on my first backpacking adventure I was on a path for trouble. As my scoutmaster, he knew he was going to share in my trouble. He offered some advice but didn't tell me I couldn't do what was coming, just that I needed to be ready for something very hard. I appreciate him not preventing me from taking on something difficult, while being ready to provide support. I would have missed an opportunity to learn what I was capable of if he had intervened.
It's been mentioned how much time Grant spent getting his hands dirty. I thank Grant for letting me get my hands dirty.
Thank you Grant for being an influence in my life. You were my Teacher in Science at Orem Junior High School. Thanks for you friendship and what you've done for this city, state, and this world. You are a great treasure and example. Thank you my friend.
