Kevin Paul Holst

Kevin Paul Holst (August 20, 1952 - November 5, 2013) grew up in Southern California with a passion for surfing and the outdoors. In the mid-90s his lifelong struggle with addiction and mental health brought him to the Lighthouse Mission in Bellingham, WA where as a gifted horticulturist he found his niche maintaining the Mission grounds. He worshiped at First Baptist Church of Bellingham. Proud of his military service in Vietnam, he eventually became a vocal proponent for veterans rights and often advocated for fellow homeless veterans. Along with his love of cigarettes and his beard, he became well known in the homeless community for volunteering as the Mission Hospitality Coordinator, inviting street homeless to the Mission for help. Over the next decade he found himself in and out of hospitals and treatment programs before gaining residence at City Gate Apartments where he died on November 5, 2013, at age 61. Kevin had a distinctive laugh that everyone recognized, and expressed a sincere devotion to people on the street, to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to the creation he inhabited. He is survived by one brother, Noel T. Holst of Smithfield, Utah. Numerous friends including Laney Speyer.