It’s a world that will have to spin on its course without
her, for our mother, Enid Dolstad, has stepped off. On March 24th, 2008 15 years and within hours to the moment her
beloved husband Jack was suddenly taken, Mom succumbed
to what she learned was “a strangely aggressive form of
squamish cell skin cancer.”
Despite her illness, Mom continued many of her volunteer
activities right to the end – even combining radiation
treatment appointments with picking up pet food in Bellevue
for low income seniors.
The daughter of Professor William Stull Holt and Lois
(Crump), Enid Holt came west from her childhood home
in Baltimore, MD, when her father accepted a position as
the Chairman of the Department of History at the University of Washington. She took eagerly to the
mountainous environs of the Puget Sound country and joined the Mountaineers in the 1940’s while still
in high school. Enid climbed Mt. Rainier twice as a young woman as well as several other local peaks.
Enid graduated from Stanford cum laude in 1951 and married Jack Dolstad, son of early Vashon
“second wave pioneer” Mary Walls later that same year. Their fi rst summer was spent together at the Sol
Duc Ranger Station in Olympic National Park where Jack was a seasonal ranger.
A few years later, Enid and Jack were tapped to become the fi rst crew supervisors for the newly
formed Student Conservation Association, a program they had
tremendous infl uence upon and worked with for about 15 years as
supervisors and later as Co-Executive Directors. From the late 50’s,
through the 60’s and into the 70’s many groups of young people ages
16 – 18 from all over the US went with Enid and Jack (and their three
kids who were 2, 4, & 6 that fi rst year in 1958) into the wilderness to
build and repair trails, construct shelters and otherwise tend to the
needs of Olympic National Park. If you’ve hiked any of the trail from
3rd Beach to Hoh head or stayed in any of the shelters along that strip
of ocean, or the shelters and cabins of the Elwha, Bogachiel, Hoh,
Queets, Duckabush or Quinault rivers, you’ve been sheltered and/or
hiked upon the unseen labors of these crews supervised by Enid and
Jack. Later, as Co-Executive Director she helped the program expand
greatly to provide conservation work in cooperation with many
Department of Interior agencies across the US.
Choosing to settle on Vashon in 1952, Enid and Jack lived in a
cabin at Corbin Beach (Land’s Camps) while they built their family’s
home at Colvos on the same land Jack’s grandparents, John Cochrane
Walls and Emma Louise Walls (Grimsdale) had settled on in the 1890’s. After Jack retired, Enid and
Jack moved back to Corbin Beach and lived in the house of Jack’s adopted parents- Kate (Walls) and
Paul Corbin Land.
Enid was involved in many community activities – often behind the scenes. She was an early
member of the Vashon Island Unitarian Fellowship, active in the Democratic Club, the League of
Women Voters, Senator Patty Murray’s Seattle offi ce, Vashon Community Council, Vashon Pony Club,
Girl Scouts, the Vashon “Jigsaw” study of the mid 60’s, the Island Groundwater Committee, Vashon
Trail subcommittee, helped found and run VIVA (Vashon Island Volunteers Association), …on and on.
She took meals to shut in seniors through the Meals on Wheels program, she and Jack cut and took fi re
wood to people who needed it (this up to the time of Jack’s death in 1993), provided transportation to
medical services and acted as an informal medical advocate for many of those same people.
Many were touched by her generous kindness, keen intelligence, high integrity, even temperament
and pragmatic approach to living. Her twinkling eyes and full and hearty laugh underscored her delight
in living. Enid had the enviable wisdom of a person who has lived life thoughtfully and close to the
bone. She was the kind of person who would bend over a man slumped on the street to ask if he needed
help even while others passed by. She cared and she acted.
Mom loved tennis, hiking, partner dance (a la Scandinavian or Square Dance style) sailing (an
acquired love from Dad), the political process, cats and, above all, horses. When asked to think of her
favorite place that would bring her peace and comfort she would visualize being upon her horse Mokai.
She rode horses throughout life from childhood through college and years of packing supply horses for
the SCA programs, participating in Pony Club and taking horse riding vacations to Ireland and France.
Over the last 15 years she enjoyed regular trail rides with her good friend Joan Benjamin.
Inspired by her life and carrying on her memory are her sister Jocelyn Marchisio of Seattle, three
children, Wende, Diane and Douglas, and fi ve grandchildren, Kathryn, Aleythea, Mackenzie, Corbin
and Hilary. Her horse Mokai remains with her friend Joan. Enid reminds you to cover up in the sun!
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to one of Enid’s favorite causes:
preserving Vashon’s unique community (Wolf Town and Preserve Our Islands were two of her
favorites), assisting seniors, promoting democracy or protecting our environment. A celebration of her
life will be held May 4th at the Burton Conference Center, Main lodge starting at 4 PM. Come prepared
to dance Scandinavian style.
— Paid obituary —
