Holly Michelle (Presnell) Martin, 63
Holly Michelle (Presnell) Martin, December 25, 1961-January 17, 2025. Christmas Day Holly was the real live baby doll present to her family. From the time she learned to talk, she was always ready to regale you with some kind of story she had envisioned or had actually lived. Her vivid imagination never left her, and she gladly shared it with her family and friends from forever. Her favorite stories were of her son, Travis, and her school mates: Amy, Tracy, Cindy, Susie, Donna, Bobby and Tony... My oh my, the things those kids would get up to!
Holly loved big families, and if you weren't already part of hers, you were before long. Everyone was her brother, or sister, or cousin. All elders were a "Miss someone" or a "Mister someone." She loved her pets as part of family. Her Scooby Doo was her baby too!
Holly first lived in Kalispell then in Portland, Oregon. She and her sisters were all a gang of their own. No one "messed" with one of the Presnell girls without incurring the wrath of all of them — boys included! And there was always plenty of them hanging around wanting to be part of the "in" crowd.
After Holly grew up, she moved to Texas, where she entered the adult work force. She worked for a bank for a while, then attended the academy and became a police officer. She also was a dispatcher for the Bell County Sheriff's Office. She eventually moved to Kentucky with her husband who was in the military. On June 17, 1989, she became a mom to son, Travis James Herring. When his father was deployed overseas again, she and Travis moved back to Kalispell. She remained here for a while, and began honing her talents by learning to assemble complicated things and basic welding at Semi Tool. She was always able to assemble things everyone else had given up on. She extended her knowledge to learning how to repair things electrical and plumbing as well as things more technical. She was always willing to learn, and ready to tackle any job. She moved back to Portland and worked for a major company's online customer service, and as a church secretary. She also managed a trailer park for a number of years until her health began to fail. She eventually moved back to Kalispell and remained here until her death.
She was talented in other ways as well. She was accomplished in sewing and crocheting and made many beautiful things she shared with others. Her memory was a marvelous asset. She was the one who always remembered the names, dates and events the rest of us forgot.
Although Holly suffered from many maladies for so many years, her worst pain was from the loss of her only child, Travis, on Jan. 20, 2011. She never recovered from that.
Holly was preceded in death by her son, Travis, a nephew, and two former sisters-in-law, her stepfather, Ron Albiston, her stepmother, Ruby Presnell, both sets of her maternal and paternal grandparents, an uncle, Maurice Connelly, an aunt, Allyson Harold, several cousins, and some close friends.
She is survived by her husband, James Martin, her sisters: Ginger (Steve) Kauffman, Penny (Scott) King, and Shawnee Adams (Jason Crider); two step-brothers, Wade Albiston and Rand (Gina) Albiston and their families; her favorite cousins, Jamie, James, Sabrina, Kim and Patrick, her mother, Sharon Connelly Albiston, and her father and step-mother, Roger and Arleta Presnell, and several aunts and uncles.
Holly's ashes will be mingled with the waters of Dickey Lake later this summer, but her soul is with her Saviour Jesus Christ, and her spirit remains with us all.