Obituary of Holly Hayden

Beauty, brains, a great sense of humor, athletic, and a loving, generous heart, Holly Heather Hayden had it all. Sadly, the bright candle of her life was snuffed out by a tragic criminal act on Sunday, August 29, 2010. A native Californian, born October 19, 1957, she was raised in Orinda, CA where she was a champion swimmer, avid horseback rider, and downhill skier. Holly was a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. During her college years she became a hang glider pilot, a sport she enjoyed for decades. After several years working in computer networking, she settled in her house in Pioneer in 1988. She enjoyed life and outdoor adventures in all seasons, skiing, hiking, climbing, and swimming in mountain lakes. Holly was also very artistic and imaginative, creating jewelry and recycling a variety of "found objects" into both practical and artistic creations. Very caring and always concerned about others, Holly loved people and made friends everywhere she went, even standing in line at the grocery store. Joyous and fun-loving, Holly was also a determined woman who worked hard to overcome challenges in life. Holly worked as a legal assistant, and care giver for developmentally disabled adults. In addition, she had just completed over a year of service doing both office and field work for the 2010 Census. Rebuilding her life after serious health problems and years of struggle attempting to save a failed marriage, this past year had been a very happy one for Holly. She was able to again enjoy many of her favorite sports, have the satisfaction of work well done for the Census, establish new, rewarding friendships, and happily commit whole-heartedly to a fresh, joyous, and truly loving, romantic relationship. Holly Hayden is survived by her parents, Patricia and David T. Hayden, her sister, Hillary Hayden, her brother, David C. Hayden, her nephew, Jet Hayden, cousins Donna Bosco and family, Nicholas Harmer and family, and the Giottonini families of Oregon & Stockton, and dearest friends Rosie Saint Ives and Don Nicodemus, Jr. A memorial celebration of Holly Hayden's life will be held at the Volcano Amphitheater, Volcano, CA on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 4:00 pm.