EAST HADDAM—It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of David Warden Holahan, 74, of East Haddam, CT, who died June 11, 2024 after a battle with cancer.
His obituary sums him up as, “a seasoned writer, commentator and reporter.”
He was also a kind and generous man, and a passionate believer in the importance of community journalism. I met him for lunch once and he gave me some incredibly valuable advice on how to manage LymeLine and then contributed gratis a wonderful column about the history of local journalism in Old Lyme.
David’s obituary explains that, “In 1974, he co-founded The Gazette, an Old Lyme, CT weekly newspaper, which survived into the late 1980s.”
The obituary adds, “He also co-published The Compass, a newspaper in Mystic, CT. The Gazette was named the best newspaper in New England for its size. An annual April Fool’s Day article kept readers on their toes. The spoof caught the attention of The New York Times and is enshrined in the Museum of Hoaxes in San Diego, CA.”
According to his obituary, “Holahan went on to write and freelance articles for newspapers and magazines, great and small nationwide, among them The New York Times, The Hartford Courant, Newsweek, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
In recent years, he served as editor of the East Haddam News and wrote its nature column, “Wild Things,” to the last.”
The obituary continues, “The son of Richard and Pamela Crawford Holahan of Huntington, NY, he is survived by his wife of 38 years, Kyn Tolson; his son and daughter-in-law, Jackson and Sarah Holahan; and grandson, Walker …”
David’s obituary notes, “Among his proudest achievements is capturing the blue ribbon at the Hadlyme, CT Derby’s Giant Pumpkin competition. Gorgeous George weighed in at 525 pounds. Holahan wrote about George, of course. He also wrote about serious environmental questions such as climate change and habitat and species degradation, not just near home in Connecticut, but worldwide, as well.”
Donations in David’s name can be made to the East Haddam Land Trust, P.O. Box 122, East Haddam, CT 06423.
We send our sincere condolences to David’s family on his passing. He was a skilled writer and truly a good man.
Visit this link to read the full obituary for David published in the Hartford Courant.
