Martha Lee “Marty” Holbrook, 67, passed away peacefully on January 1, 2023, at home after a valiant two-year fight with esophageal and stomach cancer.

Marty was born April 8,1955, to Lucille A. and Roland Ladue in Waltham, Mass. She lived with her family in Alaska, Texas, and Germany before moving to Vermont in 1967. She attended and graduated from Lamoille Union High School in 1973. She attended Champlain College, where she received her bachelor’s degree. Later in life, she was extremely proud of achieving her master’s degree from St. Michael’s College in Vermont.

Marty perfected her negotiation skills and take-no-nonsense personality through a long career in buying and purchasing with Digital, IBM and then retiring from Keurig/Green Mountain Coffee.

Not only did Martha excel in her career, but she was an incredibly supportive and caring mother to her son, Jacob. She was always his greatest cheerleader, but she wasn’t afraid to share her insight and opinions when necessary. Family was everything to her and when Jacob and his wife Christina had their children, John and Emma, she was dedicated to making sure they knew Nana loved them to the moon and back. Being a mother, mother-in-law and nana were always her greatest achievements. She would gladly share a funny or heartfelt story about the family she cherished.

Marty did not let life pass her by. She took every chance she could to travel and experience the world around her, taking multiple trips across the country, biking in Australia and even a trip to Vietnam. She looked forward to (and trained all year for) her annual RAGBRAI Bike Trip with her longtime friend and love, Todd Williams. She was just shy of making 20 consecutive years doing this trip that averaged 468 miles over seven days. Her strong determination and dedication helped her complete this adventure year after year.

After retiring in 2016, she of course continued to enjoy biking, hiking and rollerblading along Lake Champlain’s bike path in Burlington, Vt., but she also discovered a new passion, Pickleball. Her competitive nature and natural athletic skills helped her excel and achieve master status in the sport. She would gladly play 4 to 5 hours a day, so much so, she attended several Pickleball retreats in Costa Rica, where her days were filled with great food, fancy drinks, sunshine and all-day Pickleball games.

She also took pride in her volunteer work while working full time as well as during retirement, including her time spent as a substitute teacher in her local community schools.

Marty would never pass up a good game of cards, dominoes, cribbage or sequence. She was a master at Scrabble/word games and she always dominated at the game of hearts.

Marty was a true fighter to the end. She always beamed positivity, seeing the brighter side of every situation and taking the hard times with a ton of grace. She was truly a force to be reckoned with, and she loved her family and friends with her whole heart. Her smile and laugh were infectious, along with her quick wit and playful demeanor. We would like to celebrate her life with the motto that you should love what you do, enjoy life to the fullest and don’t wait until “someday.”

“Party Marty” showed us that life is too short to not live fully and simply enjoy each and every day we have. We will miss her greatly.

Martha Lee Holbrook is preceded in death by her beloved mother, Cindy Day, who she cared for until her death in 2019 and her father, Roland Ladue, who passed in 1984. She is survived by her son, Jacob Surprenant; daughter-in-law, Christina; grandchildren, John and Emma; as well as her stepfather, Tom Day; twin brother, Mark Ladue; niece, Olivia Ladue Sikora; sister, Karen; her children, John, David, James and Tina; brother, Gary; niece, Amanda; and nephew, Patrick; and her little sister, whom she cherished and held a special bond with, Susan McInnis; brother-in-law, Ron Mcinnis; and niece, Lisa Anger; Lisa’s husband, Joe Anger; and their sons, Finley and Riley; close friend and travel buddy, Todd Williams; and a host of beloved friends she considered family.

No services will be held at this time.

Cavin-Cook Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the family.