Janet Holaday

 Janet Lucille Holaday died at her home on February 14, 2025 after a long and courageous battle with metastatic colon cancer. Her strength, determination and twice monthly chemotherapy allowed her to live longer than 95% of those diagnosed with her condition. She was born in Cresco, Iowa on August 29, 1945, to Alberta Bart Holaday and Sidney E. Holaday. She grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota and spent most of her life there. She graduated at the top of her class from Jamestown High School in 1963 and received a B.S in French with honors from Colorado College in 1967. She received her Master’s in Accounting and Business Law from the University of North Dakota in 1971. 

Aside from four years in Little Rock, Arkansas where she worked for the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, she spent her adult life in Jamestown. She became a CPA and joined the accounting firm founded by her father, Sidney E. Holaday. It was the first father-daughter CPA firm in North Dakota. In addition to her standard practice, she provided both professional and pro-bono accounting and auditing services to numerous non-profit organizations in central North Dakota. She and her father were partners until his death in 1997 at which time she took over the practice until her retirement in 2008.

All her life, Jan was an ardent student and practitioner of genealogical research and traced branches of her family back more than five hundred years. She also assisted many, many people in their ancestral searches and was active in organizations supporting genealogical research and historical preservation. She was a highly regarded genealogical expert and was a national officer, state registrar, and genealogical consultant for three hereditary societies. Her persistence, her skill and her intuition in finding lost relatives were astounding. In addition, she was a chapter and state officer of the North Dakota State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution for over 20 years. She was also President and Vice President of Chapter K P. E. O.

Jan was a person of strong loyalties to her family, her friends, her community, her state, her country, and all the organizations she was a part of. She served as the Treasurer of her homeowner’s association for nearly 20 years. She was a lifelong Republican. Jan was a woman of firm opinions and high standards and was not hesitant to share her views on these with candor. Conversations with Jan were never short because she had such detailed knowledge and views on such a wide variety of issues.

Jan tended to be a somewhat private person whose friendships were deep rather than broad. Her closest friend was probably her mother, Alberta, with whom she shared so much and whom she lovingly took care of in Alberta’s final stage of life. Jan never sought recognition for her many acts of kindness, support and generosity. Although she did take the lead when it was necessary, she was usually more comfortable in a supporting role, with others taking credit for the success that her efforts helped achieve. Her love, talent, goodwill, hard work, and integrity will be missed deeply by all who knew her.

She was a generous person who shared the benefits of her industry and frugality with donations to many organizations including the Presbyterian Church, the University of Jamestown, Colorado College, the University of North Dakota, the US Air Force Academy and numerous local charities. This past fall the University of Jamestown announced her donation of a $300,000 bequest to the ‘Promise Scholarship’, which was established in January 2024 by her brother Bart Holaday. This Scholarship will now bear Janet’s name and permit deserving students with financial need to have the means to complete their education at the University of Jamestown 

For the last 28 years, the prime focus of her charitable work was the Dakota Foundation, the direction and management of which she shared with her brother Bart. From its founding in 1997 Jan worked tirelessly as the Secretary/Treasurer of the organization. The Dakota Foundation’s mission is to help people help themselves become more economically self-sufficient. Over its history the Dakota Foundation with Jan’s able guidance has given more than $10 million dollars to more than 200 organizations, positively affecting the lives of thousands of individuals. Jan was the financial mainstay of the organization for its entire history. She was loved and respected by the board of the Foundation and by its beneficiaries. Her competence and her commitment were unequalled.

Jan was preceded in death by her father Sidney and her mother Alberta. She is survived by her brother Bart and his wife Cathy, her niece Brett Holaday, her nephew, Patrick Holaday and nine cousins and their families. 

A memorial service will be held for Jan at 11:00 AM on Saturday March 8, 2025, at the Haut Funeral Home at 1101 5th Ave Northeast, Jamestown, ND 58401; the service will be livestreamed. 

In lieu of flowers please consider a gift to the Janet Holaday Promise Scholarship at the University of Jamestown.