On their own after their dad's death, North Naples teens struggle to go on

The Holt kids have had to grow up quickly.

Their dad, Robert Holt, was diagnosed with an aggressive colon cancer in 2016, and for the two years leading up to his death, they cared for him as his health deteriorated.

“We always thought he’d get better,” said Tiffany Holt, the eldest of the five siblings. “Dad held on for so long because of us. He turned into someone he never wanted to be.”

Robert Holt died in his North Naples home May 29. He was 54. The family originally was from Georgia, where Robert Holt worked as a custom woodworker and home builder. The Holts moved to Collier County about 10 years ago. 

The Holt kids knew their dad as a strong, hard-working, encouraging man who believed in positive affirmations and had a good attitude. He aspired for his kids to believe in themselves as much as he believed in them.

“He did everything for us and was never selfish,” Max Holt, 19, said of his dad. “When he got really sick, going outside to get the mail was like a marathon to him. To see him in pain every day was hard.”

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Tiffany Holt, 20, put off going to college when her dad was diagnosed so she could work. Her brother, Max Holt, 19, took on the duties of his dad’s primary caretaker. His twin, Sophia Holt, 19, has worked two jobs to help support her family. The twins also put off going to college to help their dad and take care of their younger siblings — Sabrina Holt, 17, and Seth Holt, 16 — who are both in high school and working part-time.

They took their dad to doctor’s appointments and stayed with him when he was in a hospital. Through it all, they stuck together.

The Holt kids buried their father in a cemetery in Georgia in early June. Their church’s priest, the Rev. Joe Maiocco of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Naples, accompanied them and attended the burial.

The church has helped the family with rent, food and obtaining social services since Robert Holt was diagnosed. The church now is helping the Holts think about their futures.

“Part of the conversations we’re having is, ‘What will your lives look like four years from now?’” Maiocco said. “How do we get them there as intact as we can?”

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It hasn’t quite hit them yet that their dad is gone. Sometimes they come home and expect to still see him there.

“Sometimes I’ll go to my dad’s room and talk to him,” Tiffany Holt said. “I think he hears me. He didn’t want us to be sad. He said he knew we would be OK.” 

Now, the Holt siblings are trying to figure out how to survive. They said there is no family for them to stay with. Their mom isn’t in the picture. A divorce and custody battle drained their dad’s savings, they said, and they don’t know of any life insurance policy he might have had. 

The three older siblings are legally adults, but they were still teens when their dad was diagnosed. The person who would have helped them and their younger siblings enter adulthood is gone.

“We don’t have a parent,” Sophia Holt said. 

They all miss their dad, and each of them is grieving differently. The siblings are faced with the difficulties of life moving on after theirs have been on hold.

Maiocco said he has been impressed with how hard the Holts have worked as a family. There have been some challenges in taking their next steps while grieving, he said, but they are moving forward.

The Holts celebrated their first Father’s Day without their dad last weekend. Maiocco said they went to church on Sunday, and the church offered a special prayer for the family.

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Maiocco, a former Navy chaplain, said he sees some signs of post-traumatic stress disorder in the kids.

“They’ve been through a lot of trauma,” Maiocco said. “When I look at them sometimes, I’ve seen the same kind of blank stares I’ve seen on guys coming off a battlefield. They’re overwhelmed.”

Tiffany and Max start college in the fall. Sophia plans to attend culinary school. Sabrina and Seth will graduate from Barron Collier High School in 2019 and 2020, respectively. 

They have to find long-term affordable housing and figure out what to do with all the cars their dad had at home to restore. The siblings are asking for help through a GoFundMe page they created.

"We're so grateful for the support we've gotten from the community," Max Holt said.

Some of the more than $62,000 raised has already gone toward helping with funeral expenses. The rest, the siblings said, would give them the financial security to find a new place to live, go to college, buy a car and insurance, pay for the younger siblings’ school expenses and any incidentals. 

Marcos Rojas, a family friend who lives in Cape Coral, is trying to help the Holt kids get on their feet.

Rojas owns a video production studio and used to work with Robert Holt on projects. Robert Holt’s passion for video production rubbed off on Tiffany and Max, and they sometimes work on projects with Rojas.

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Rojas and Maiocco said they have talked to the siblings about responsibly using the money they have raised through the GoFundMe account. 

Rojas said he helped get the Holts into Valerie’s House, a Fort Myers-based organization that helps children and adults grieve after losing loved ones. 

“They’re good kids,” Rojas said. “I promised Rob I’d take care of these kids no matter what and make sure they’re alright.”

To donate to the GoFundMe account, see https://www.gofundme.com/holtfamilygofundme. To contact the family, email helptheholtfamily@gmail.com.