Colleen Holby
Obituary Reports the death of an individual, providing an account of the person’s life including their achievements, any controversies in which they were involved, and reminiscences by people who knew them.
Reverend Colleen Koppert Holby, “Co,” was born Apr. 22, 1932, in Mansfield, Ohio to Edward Koppert and Mabel Smith, the youngest of four siblings.
At the age of eight, she “gave her life to Christ,” a relationship which would deepen over the course of her life. Co put herself through Wheaton College in Illinois, which later awarded her the Alumna of the Year Award for Distinguished Service to Society in 2011.
Upon graduation in 1955 she joined the staff of Young Life, a Christian Youth Ministry from which she earned a masters of theology. For the next 15 years, she served with Young Life in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Darien, Conn. and Boston. She maintained her relationship to Young Life for the rest of her life, especially in obtaining scholarships for her students to attend the Young Life Camps on Saranac Lake and Lake Champion, and in bringing promising young people into Young Life ministry.
In 1970, she married Duncan Holby, whom she described as “the most precious gift of all.” While married, she earned a masters in counseling and human resources from the University of Bridgeport, and was ordained by the United Church of Christ on Oct. 19, 1980, at Stanwich Congregational Church. Duncan died suddenly in 1982, and Co continued to reside in their Pleasantville home until her death.
In 1978, Co started work as assistant chaplain for Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry, a multipurpose home and school for disadvantaged youth, becoming senior Protestant chaplain in 1986 and head of pastoral care in 1998. Although she officially retired in 2021, she continued to mentor children and serve as an advocate for Children’s Village into the last year of her life. Co served as president of the National Chaplains’ Association for Youth at Risk, and in Pleasantville as moderator for an interfaith group of religious leaders.
Colleen died peacefully at Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow on Nov. 29. She is survived by two stepchildren, Lorna Henkel, of Secaucus, N.J. and Laird Holby of Medford, N.J.; several nieces and nephews; five step-grandchildren and 12 step-great-grandchildren; and hundreds of young people who were inspired by her love of Christ and the host of friends who shared her journey.
In lieu of flowers, friends are invited to contribute to Young Life in New York or to New Life in New York City. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. on Jan. 4 at the Stanwich Congregational Church in Greenwich, Conn.
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