‘He was one of a kind’

DENTON – He was known by his friends as a man with a generous heart who could do just about anything.

Haines Baxter Holt, passed away April 17 at Talbot Hospice House in Easton. He was 82.

With deep Eastern Shore roots, the Federalsburg native was a well-known entrepreneur, creative problem solver and philanthropist.

“He could do just about anything, and if you needed help, he was the first one there to help you,” said Fred Connolly of Easton, whose family lived next door to the Haines family from 1985 to 1995 on Aurora Street in Easton.

Born on September 23, 1943, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Mary Baxter Holt and Robert Holt. He had one sister, Roberta Baxter “Bobbie” Holt.

Dan Dobson of Seaford grew up with Holt in Federalsburg, the lifelong friends living at opposite ends of Central Avenue.

“Haines was down to earth, and would do anything in the world for you,” Dobson said. “If (anybody) needed help, all we had to do was call and he’d be there. He had no prejudices or anything like that. I never heard him say a bad word about anybody.”

Holt was active in Boy Scout Troop 137 in Federalsburg, and along with Dobson, attended Camp Rodney. “We were outdoors people, and we liked the camping and all that stuff,” Dobson said. The boys often rode a tractor for fun on the small farm Holt’s father owned on the edge of town. Later Holt would collect old farm tractors and restore them.

Robert Holt was the owner of Holt Oil Company, a large distributorship based at Holt Street and Railroad Avenue in Federalsburg, where his son would establish his business.

The Holts “were never ostentatious at all,” Dobson said. He recalled the Christmas when, as a boy, “Haines got a model steam engine. You put water in it, you plugged it in an electrical outlet, and it actually had a wheel, and you could propel little things with it. He was over-the-top happy.”

During high school Holt was president of the Rotary-sponsored Federalsburg Teen Canteen. He was a member of the last class to graduate from Federalsburg High School. He attended Class of 1961 reunion dinners every year at Suicide Bridge Restaurant until Holt’s illness prevented him last year, Dobson said.

Shortly after graduation, Dobson said he and Holt took a road trip to Miami, Florida, to attend the high school graduation of a friend who had moved away years before. The inventive Holt built a tank to fit in the large trunk of his “1959 4- door, hardtop, white Chevrolet Impala. Of course, he got all his gasoline for free, but Haines was not a big spender.”

The two friends managed to reach Miami without having to stop and fill up because of the extra tank of gasoline riding in the trunk. They visited the first McDonald’s they had ever seen, then ventured halfway down the Florida Keys, got bored and turned northwest to visit New Orleans.

Holt was a “very, very skilled mechanic and, even in high school, one of the best welders I’ve ever seen,” Dobson said. “He could draw a bead you couldn’t even see.” Holt learned to weld from Holt Oil Company mechanic Wink McCrae.

Holt attended Wesley College, “where he met the love of his life, Nancy. They married in October 1965 and shared a lifetime of love and partnership,” according to his obituary. Together, they raised two sons, R. Travis Holt and Cameron R. Holt.

Holt served in the Maryland National Guard for four years.

“Haines was a dedicated entrepreneur, proudly owning and operating his own trucking company for 59 years,” according to his obituary. “He specialized in hauling overweight and oversized equipment, embracing every challenge that came his way with determination and expertise.”

“As far as the hauling world, he was the king,” said Denton businessman Dave Whaley.

“He was a cowboy,” Whaley said. “He was willing to try damn near anything. If you had something that you needed to move here from Georgetown, Delaware, and it was 100 foot long or whatever, he’d find a way to do it.”

Despite his success, Holt “wasn't much for modern technology,” Whaley said. “For the longest time, he had a dial phone, but he didn't have a fax machine. In fact, at one point in time, the state of Delaware went to a program where you had to submit all your permits for your oversized loads (via fax). Well, they had to make Haines Holt an exception, because …  he was hauling probably 75% of the oversized loads in the state of Delaware.”

“He was one of a kind,” Connolly said. “We need more of him.”

Holt also owned Holt Coal Company, selling anthracite (hard) coal by the ton and bag as a more economical alternative to high-priced oil in the early 2000s.

The Holt family were “a giving family and it rubbed off on Haines,” Dobson said. Holt’s mother Mary donated the historic Exeter House to the Federalsburg Historical Society. “They loved Federalsburg and its history,” he said.

In 2013, Haines and Nancy Holt established a scholarship fund in memory of his sister, Dr. Roberta B. Holt, an influential social worker, researcher and professor., At the time he said, “As executor of her estate, I knew she wanted the funds to help people in Caroline County further their education.”

Holt was a committed community member and benefactor, serving as a past president of the Rotary Club of Federalsburg. He was a member of the board of directors of the Peoples Bank of Maryland Federalsburg branch, and partnered with the town of Federalsburg and Habitat for Humanity to build homes on Park Avenue in his home town. He was an active member of the Bay Country Region Antique Automobile Club of America, and was a faithful member of St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Easton.

Connolly remembers Holt pitching in to help him when he bought his first antique car, a Model A. “Haines was in the antique car club, and I moved next door to him. … I brought it home, and I was on the pavement working on it, and Haines came over. ‘What are you doing? he asked. ‘I’m putting a new timing gear in it,’ I said. “Get out of the way. Let me do it,’ he said. That’s just the way he was. I didn't know what I was doing, and he did,” Connolly said.

“He was a good friend – somebody you could count on,” he said. “I don’t care what it was. If I needed something, Haines would be the first one there to help me.”

“Haines was known for his creativity and adventurous spirit,” his obituary states. “Some of his fondest projects included restoring an old school bus into a camper, converting a tank into a swimming pool, and his passion for collecting antique cars. He also enjoyed traveling on cruises, exploring many destinations, and was famous for cooking BBQ chicken for Rotary Club fundraisers.”

“Haines’s legacy of hard work, community service, and family devotion will be deeply missed by all who knew him,” his obituary states.

He is survived by his wife Nancy; sons R. Travis Holt (Tammy) and Cameron R. Holt (Lori); grandchildren Robert T. Holt, Jr. (Brooke), Taylor Holt (Alex), Bradley Holt and Sophie Holt; and great-grandson Weston Holt.