Carl Arthur Andrew Holm

(1945-2021)

It is with heavy hearts that we said goodbye to Carl Holm; beloved husband, father, Papa, and brother who passed away on December 29, 2021, surrounded by his family, at the age of 76. Born on March 29, 1945 in Halifax, Nova Scotia to Canon Carl Orla and Rhoda-May (Walkey) Holm. He was predeceased by his parents and his siblings, Mary (Smith) and Jean (Laferty).

Carl was a fine, honourable, and principled man. He was generous, unpretentious, and full of kindness and compassion. His presence was always memorable thanks to his quirky off-beat sense of humour and distinctive laugh. Carl married the love of his life, Joanne (Jody) MacLeod on September 9, 1967 and they quickly began making a life for themselves. Carl loved being with his family and enjoyed being surrounded by people who made him feel young at heart. Never one to shy away from fun, and always game for family adventure, Papa provided endless silliness for his four children and his beloved eight grandchildren. Many treasured memories were created during family vacations at Green Bay, Hunts Point, Smith’s Cove and PEI. Always ready with a joke or story, late-night email, text or phone call, he was a source of constant support and wisdom to all of those around him. An active cheerleader for his children and grandchildren, the taxi driver and his Jody’s delivery man. He was a unique man with varied interests including: an annual canoe trip, blues music, ballroom dancing, all things related to politics, the Old Guys book club, the Toronto Raptors, mastering stir fries and Christmas gravlax, tomato growing, and Costco delivering.

Carl lived a full life dedicated to his family but also to his career and community service.

Early on he was a devoted boy scout and paper carrier. He volunteered with the Frontier College in Northern Manitoba, “the best summer of his life”. He graduated from Dalhousie Law in 1968 and carried on obtaining his Masters in Law from Harvard University in 1970. He accomplished much throughout his career but was always humble about his successes. Notably, his advocacy in a Supreme Court of Canada decision (Saulnier v. Royal Bank of Canada, 2008). He was identified as Nova Scotia Lawyer of the Year in 2012 and 2019, and by Lexmark as one of the best lawyers in Canada. He was known for his mentorship and encouragement of others to challenge themselves and pursue their goals. Despite all of this he was also the biggest supporter of the firm’s baseball team, known to him as “the Holm Team”.

Carl gave of his time to many through his life, serving as: Chair of the Business Law Subsection of the CBA’s Nova Scotia Branch, President of the Nova Scotia Drama League, President of the Scouts Canada Nova Scotia Provincial Council, Vice President of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, member of the Mount Saint Vincent Board of Governors, Director and Chair of the Fundraising Committee of Alzheimer’s Society Nova Scotia, the Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Nova Scotia, and a member of State Capital Group.

He will be forever missed by his wife, Jody (MacLeod); his four children, Jason (Maggie), Kristen (John Newgard), Carmen (Glenn Hutt) and Alexa (Heather); eight grandchildren Jacob, Katie, Ellie, Olive, Hamish, Ferguson, Ruby and Josephine; his siblings Ruth (Smith) and John (wife Diane Kaye); and dear furry friend Oscar.

Cremation has occurred. A small family service will be held in the coming week. A celebration of Carl’s life will be held at a later date when COVID restrictions allow us all to gather in a manner that he would appreciate. Donations in his honour can be made to Médecins Sans Frontières, FINCA Canada, CUSO or an organization of your choice.

“Be proud of yourselves and see yourselves not as better than anyone but as the equal of everyone.” – Carl Holm