Obituary of Holly Elizabeth Borden

Holly Elizabeth Borden loving Mother, Sister, Grandmother and Friend. She left this world after a lengthy battle with cancer on November 25, 2021.

She was born to Charles Frederick and Madelyn Hughes Borden in April 1944 in San Mateo California. She lived an idyllic childhood in the lovely hills of Orinda California, riding her horses Cookie and Sarge in the then sparsely populated area surrounding her home. After graduating from The Anna Head School in Berkeley, College brought her to Idaho where she attended The College of Idaho and graduated in 1966 with a BA in sociology. Soon after college she married and moved around before settling in Portland Oregon to start family life. She gave birth to two daughters, Dani and Jenni, who she shared with her former spouse Gerald Baur. Her girls were her everything, and she was an excellent and caring mother to them.

Her career began working at Riverdale Elementary School where her daughters attended, but quickly was recognized for her strong work ethic and was asked to join a small company named Precision Interconnect. She worked her way up from being an assistant to the head of HR while undergoing her MBA from Marylhurst University. She eventually made the move to the Seattle area to work for Spacelabs Medical in HR and her final career stop was with Boise State University in Boise Idaho where she was able to focus on her true interest in HR as Director of Affirmative Action. Immediately she found kindred spirits in the work force who now have become lifelong friends.

Holly’s move to Idaho also brought her many of her other joys. The home she found allowed her to have a horse on-site and she was able to wake each day to her horse, R.J., calling to her for attention. The property also allowed her to pursue her lifelong love of gardening, a love she inherited from her mother and a passion she shared with her daughter Dani. Her garden was a meticulously maintained English style paradise. She created such an oasis for all to enjoy and it was the perfect backdrop for visits with family, especially grandchildren! Another event Holly found a passion for since she moved to Idaho... SPORTS! She has been fortunate to find a wonderful group of friends to go to Boise State Football and Basketball games with and hope for great weather and exciting games- the closer the score the better. She has also been back to her alma mater for all the football and basketball games with Jenni, Jasen and Maddy as they cheered for the ‘Yotes.

Anyone who has been lucky enough to know Holly will know she is a strikingly beautiful and intelligent woman with class and poise. She always said, “There are two types of people in this world: those who walk into a room and say, ‘Here I am’ and those who walk into a room and say, ‘There you are’”. She may have looked like the ‘here I am’ sort but was most assuredly a ‘there you are’ person. She could talk to anyone about anything and make those around her comfortable in two seconds' flat. She loved life, she loved the outdoors on beautiful sunny days, she loved her animals, and she loved her friends, children, and grandchildren.

She is survived by her daughters, Danielle (Paul Akulschin) of Gig Harbor Washington and Jennifer (Jasen Carrier) of Meridian Idaho, Grandchildren Trent Akulschin, Madelyn Carrier, Christopher Akulschin, and Robert Akulschin and siblings Joan Shea of Oakland California and Rick Borden of Mill Valley California. And we cannot forget her pets, her big boy R.J. and her dogs Wally and McGee. She is preceded in death by her parents, Charles Frederick and Madelyn Hughes Borden.

At her request there will not be a service, but if you would like to honor her memory, please donate to a local horse rescue or animal rescue.