June 12, 1960 – January 26, 2026
Jacqueline K. Holt, age 65, of Lake Mills, IA, passed away unexpectedly of natural causes on Monday, January 26th, 2026, at her home in Lake Mills.
Jacqueline Kay (Kooker) was born on June 12, 1960, in Iowa City, IA to her parents Emory and Audrey (Potter) Kooker. She grew up in the Jewell/Ellsworth area, where she graduated from South Hamilton High School in 1978.
She married her best friend and the love of her life, Byron D. Holt, on November 14th, 1981 at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, IA. Together, they were blessed with five children: Tamara, Kristin, Benjamin, Torjoba and Dakota – whose lives brought endless joy, love, laughter and purpose to their home, making it a place filled with warmth and precious memories.
The couple moved to Forest City in 2005, and then to Lake Mills in 2014.
Jackie was the department head in the infant/toddler section of Walmart in the Altoona area for many years. When she moved to Forest City, she was employed at Hardees, both in Forest City and Garner. When she wasn’t working, Jackie enjoyed camping with her husband, crocheting, and studying family history and genealogy. She also enjoyed getting to spend time with her children and grandchildren.
She was a devoted and loving mother whose heart extended far beyond her own children. She welcomed all of their friends with the widest of arms, loving them almost as her own. To many of her children’s friends, she wasn’t just a friend’s mom, she was truly their second mom.
A memory the kids will always remember fondly of her is her spelling the children’s entire name out (first, middle and last) if she needed to get their attention or if they were in trouble. She was a caring, passionate, and loving mother and grandmother.
She is preceded in death by both parents, Emory and Audrey Kooker; father and mother in-law, Edward Holt Sr. and Mary Jane (Merz); and siblings, Karen Yackle (Larry), Jim (Joyce) Kooker, and Carol Stolt.
Those who will lovingly remember and celebrate her life include her husband of 44 years, Byron; her children, Tamara (Brian Sampson) Holt, Kristin (Anthony) Limon, Benjamin (Trish Wilke) Holt, Torjoba (Dan) Langerud, and Dakota (Samantha) Holt; grandchildren, Jessica, Ashley, and Katelyn Sampson, Edward and Lilliana Limon; Michael Schiermeister, Caleb Currier, Phoenix and Jonah Wilke, Eliana, Kaysie, and Anaia Langerud, Matthew, Tyler and Dominic Boucher, Makenna, Aaron, and Elizabeth Holt; her in-laws, Edward (Diane) Holt Jr., Sue Holt, Frank Holt, and John Holt, as well as many loving nieces, nephews, extended relatives and friends.
A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.
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