Cordelia Holt

 Cordelia “Dea” Mary Holt 

October 6, 1944 – July 25, 2024 

Dea passed away on July 25, in Palm Springs, California. A native Washingtonian, Dea was born in Seattle, grew up in Spokane, and enjoyed her homes in both states. 

After graduating from St. George’s School in Spokane, Dea attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, earning a B.A. in modern European history and political science. She attended Seattle University to earn her master’s degree in business and political science including a semester at the University of Hawaii East-West Center of Cultural Exchange. Dea’s career started as an insurance adjuster for Travelers Insurance where she became the first woman in the entire company to be granted the status of adjuster. She had some great stories to tell from that experience! 

Her career choice changed when she met and joined Jackie Burke as a business partner in Seattle in Masterpress, Inc. Masterpress was not an ink-on-paper printing company. It specialized in nameplates and labels for manufacturing companies. Dea and Jackie created a labeling system for General Electric that identified all the various sections of the Alaska Oil Pipeline. They created an inventory labeling system for the U.S. Forest Service to track the survival rate of trees planted as part of reforestation. That system had to resist all climate changes as well as hungry deer that came to feast on the saplings. Dea’s creativity was not limited to printing systems. She wrote and directed themed holiday skits to be performed in costume by friends who wouldn’t miss one of Dea and Jackie’s parties. 

After fourteen successful years at Masterpress in a male-dominated industry, they founded Barcodes West, Inc. They rejected focus on retail systems and, instead, looked to the creative side of this technology such as developing a complete barcode inventory system for the U.S. Navy tracking everything from weapons to food on submarines and inventing a payroll data collection system for Nordstrom, Inc. 

Never losing her ability to innovate, Dea founded 01 Publishing, Inc. 01 worked in the creative world of computer publishing and design, creating websites, technical publications and translating software from English to foreign languages for such companies as Microsoft, Toshiba and K/P Corporation. Even after retirement, Dea shared her considerable knowledge consulting for several non-profit businesses in the Northwest. 

Along with the challenges of competing as a woman-owned business, Dea accepted the game of golf as a necessary part of doing business with “the good old boys.” She quickly excelled in golf, played in women’s leagues for fun and found an enjoyable, lifelong social activity. 

It was her love of travel and animals that took Dea to Africa many times and around the world to all the continents. She became the U.S. representative for the Zulu Nyala Safari Group, a game preserve in South Africa, enjoying years of offering African safaris as auction packages to U.S. non-profit organizations all over the country. 

To her life partner and spouse, Lauren, and everyone who knew her, Dea was an extraordinary person: wise, compassionate, of highest moral character, generous in word and deed, and always a kind and faithful friend. Her light never wavered but began to dim a little these past few months. Her light on earth is extinguished but will always remain aglow in our hearts. 

Excerpts from L’Hymne a l’amour 

by Edith Piaf 

We have lived and dreamed, we two alone 

In a world that seemed our very own 

With its memory ever grateful 

Just for you, I’ll sing a hymn to love 

I remember each embrace 

The smile that lights your face 

And my heart begins to sing 

Your arms, the hands secure 

Your eyes that said, “Be sure” 

And my heart begins to sing 

Those who love will live eternally 

In the blue, where all is harmony 

With my voice raised high to heaven 

Just for you, I’ll sing a hymn to love