Mary Ann Holloway

With love and sadness, we announce the passing of Mary Ann Holloway on Aug. 2, 2022 due to complications from a medical procedure while in the hospital. Born Mary Ann Coleman June 17, 1935 in Spokane, Wash., the middle of three daughters of Pauline and Everett Coleman. She grew up in a happy solid family home with a strong stay-at-home mom and working dad who valued hard work, personal strength and integrity, doing the right thing, and treating others with respect.

In 1948 at Havermale Jr. High as a pretty 8th grader with sparkling blue eyes and flowing dark hair, she caught the attention of a cute wiry funny athletic new 9th grader who had moved from Oklahoma. Spike Fitch. They spent the next few years together at North Central High, and a month after she graduated, they were married on July 14, 1953 in Coeur d’Alene, ID. They started their family with Dennis in 1954, then added Gayle 1956, Scott 1957, Connie 1960. In 1957 they moved to a farm outside Sprague, Wash. to help Spike’s mother and stepfather. By 1959 they had moved into Sprague, and bought their first house. Spike soon joined the Washington State Patrol. Mary Ann held down the fort while also working part time as an aide at Lakeland Village in Medical Lake, and waitress at Jake’s Cafe in Sprague.

In the summer of 1965, the young couple made a major life decision when they moved their family to Ritzville, Wash. Spike was selected to be the owner of a brand new Texaco station, the first business built at a new I-90 interchange on the south edge of town. A year later, on the same property, they built a small burger joint with no inside seating— Spike’s Drive-In, with Mary Ann managing.

For 25 years, Mary Ann loved running the bustling drive-in, ran a tight ship, and put out quality food. She became a popular employer of local girls, and despite being a demanding boss, continued to be their mentor. Many of those employees grew to be productive women themselves and thanked Mary Ann for being a positive influence in their lives. By the time the drive-in closed in 1991 it had gained quite a reputation. While on vacations, Mary Ann and Spike loved encountering people from all over the country who had been there and enjoyed it. Whole families grew up looking forward to stopping at Spike’s the next time they came past Ritzville.

Spike was not there to see the end of the drive-in era. With Dennis at college and three kids still in school, Mary Ann’s life changed drastically when a single-car fatal accident in late summer 1974 took away the boy from Oklahoma who had been in her life for 26 years. She had to figure out how to manage both the drive-in and the station by herself until son Scott and wife Theresa took over management of the station in 1977.

A few years later, her second life began when she met Harvey Holloway from Othello. He was welcomed into her existing family and they married on Jan. 6, 1979. Harv moved into her house in Ritzville, where they continued their lives together, and where Harvey continues to live. Harv’s roots were in the agriculture world— initially a fix-anything handyman mechanic for the Taggares family and its potato processing empire. Harv later ran his own custom potato-harvesting business and grew his own potatoes and asparagus. During that time, Mary Ann continued to manage the drive-in until it closed in 1991. She retired and Scott and Theresa bought the station business from her. After retiring from harvesting and crop production, Harv started his own independent agriculture-hauling trucking business, hauling in Washington and Oregon.

Outside of her life as a successful businesswoman, her family and close friends knew her privately as a playful spirit who (despite not being naturally warm and huggy) was happiest when surrounded by her brood, knowing that they were close and safe... big gatherings, first with kids, then grandkids, then more recently great-grandkids, eating good food and laughing, with hours of energetic overlapping storms of conversation, funny stories with almost no topic off limits. That’s the kind of culture she fostered for her family— warm funny loving honest freewheeling oversharing teasing. Clear into their teens, her children continued to call her “Honey” instead of Mom, because that’s what their dad called her. A close family made of decent loving humans who care for and support one another. To the end, even after knee and back arthritis slowed her mobility, she was still engaged and playful and loved attending all family holiday gatherings, even after she was no longer hosting.

Some personal things that only insiders knew. 1) She was a naturally good cook who liked BBQ grilled steaks and ribs, and was known for her yummy family specialties of baked beans, potato salad, shrimp salad, mashed potatoes, beef barley soup, Swiss steak, fruitcake. She preferred wines to be sweet and light. For many years she and Harv (and Spike earlier) joined other local farmers in crafting their own smoked German sausage. 2) She played bridge regularly with the same core group of friends from 1965 to 2022, through more than half a century of watching each other’s kids become adults with lives of their own. 3) She enjoyed traveling and in addition to various spots within the US, such as Yellowstone, she visited Hawaii, Jamaica, Tahiti, Mexico. For years, she and Harv joined a group of local “sledders” for snowmobile adventures each winter. More recently, for 15 years they did the snowbird thing and hooked up their 5th-wheel trailer to Harv’s fancy ¾ ton Ford pickup and drove down to stay in sunny Yuma, Arizona during winter months. 4) She and Harv loved going to casinos as often as possible, with substantial winnings over 40 years playing slots. Their favorite spots were Reno, Jackpot, and Laughlin, NV; Quechan near their Winterhaven, Calif. snowbird resort near Yuma; and for the past 20 years, Northern Quest in Spokane.

Mary Ann was preceded in death by her parents and older sister Dolores. She is survived by loving husband of 43 years Harvey Holloway, son Dennis Fitch, daughter Gayle (Gary) Robbins, son Scott (Theresa) Fitch, daughter Connie (Dennis) Sackmann, step-son Robbie Holloway, step-daughter Jacquie (Walter) Haupt, younger sister Karen (Bill) Stone, 15 grandchildren (including in-law and step-), 25 great-grandchildren (including in-law and step-), 13 nieces/ nephews.

She requested no service or formal memorial. An informal family gathering is likely and will be announced sometime in the coming weeks. Danekas Funeral Home in Ritzville, Wash. is handling arrangements.