Mary M. Miller Holder, 85 of Elkin, passed away December 5, 2009 in her home with her family by her side. Mrs. Holder was born February 3, 1924 in Watauga County to Jones Dixon and Meady Ray Miller. She graduated from Mountain Park High School in 1943 and attended National Business College in Roanoke, VA. On October 14, 1945, she married Reeves Holder in Washington DC and worked for the Office of Strategic Services OSS while her husband served overseas in the Army Air Corps. Mrs. Holder opened Elkin's first Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio in 1960, sharing the building on North Bridge Street where her husband ran a photographic studio called "The Portrait House". She and her family lived in Fort Mill, SC for over 20 years. Upon retirement, Mrs. Holder and her husband returned to their home in Elkin. As she followed her husband through life, she worked at banks in Elkin, Fort Mill, Washington DC, and Tulsa OK. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Holder was preceded in death by her loving sister, Georgia Furel Williams Tulbert and an infant brother, "Leffy" Miller. She is survived by her husband of 64 years, Reeves A. Holder; their only child, Martha K. Holder; her brother, Jones Burl Miller; her nephew, Ben Williams; and many other beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. A funeral service will be conducted Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 1:00pm at First Baptist Church in Elkin. Burial will follow at Bessie's Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Elkin Funeral Service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mountain Valley Hospice of Surry County, 401 Technology Lane, Suite 200, Mt. Airy, NC 27030.
