Gavin Rea Holloway, 16, of Brattleboro died unexpectedly on Feb. 25, 2024, surrounded by his parents, family, and loved ones. 

To know Gavin was to know one of the gentlest and brightest souls. His kindness, curiosity, wit, creativity, and analytical mind delighted all who knew him. Born on April 15, 2007, he was lost far too soon, but he left an indelible impression on so many lives that he touched. Despite the magnitude of this unbearable loss, his family is deeply thankful for the outpouring of love and support they have received from the community during this time of immense grief. Many have reached out to share their experiences with and memories of Gavin: his warm friendship, his infectious laugh, his love of learning, his quirky sense of fun, his artistic and theatrical abilities, and his intellect.

To his family, Gavin was a sweet, compassionate and thoughtful young man, often beyond his years. He was an avid learner and explorer from birth, and an astoundingly shrewd observer. At the age of 7, he was politely correcting the Montshire Museum staff for misidentifying a dinosaur in their diorama. He used the word "precocious" when it was precocious for him to do so. Gavin was a voracious reader of fantasy fiction, digesting books like The Hobbit and Watership Down - sometimes twice - before he was in middle school. Gavin read so many books that he would max out the local library and need to get library cards from neighboring towns so he could rotate. Even at age 5, he knew immediately if you took a wrong U-turn while driving. Virtually nothing got past him. He enjoyed camping and traveling with his parents to see family and friends in Massachusetts, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, the Maine coast, New York City, Niagara Falls and Canada. Gavin was also a trickster who loved playing practical jokes on his parents and friends, such as the time he made a plastic-wrap wall to ensnare his dad.

Involved in his school and community, Gavin's talents and charisma were known both on stage and off. In his younger years, he brought characters to life in a number of productions for the Vermont Theatre Company and for school, playing roles in productions such as A Christmas Carol and Macbeth, and perhaps most memorably as "Donkey" in the Green Street School's production of Shrek The Musical. Gavin performed with the Brattleboro School of Dance where he dazzled audiences with his "popping" skills as a hip-hop dancer. Gavin was known for his creative and unique Halloween costumes, creations which he would dream up (and enlist his mom to put together): a fallen angel, a creepy baby with a massive head, Godzilla, and a Plague Doctor. Gavin was also a young visual artist: One of his paintings is still on display in the Green Street School.

More recently, Gavin was interested in robotics, gaming, movies, and music. As a student at Brattleboro Union High School, Gavin especially enjoyed science and social studies. When he was a freshman, he was accepted to the Governor's Institute in Technology and Design, where he engineered an electronic alarm that threw water on your face if you didn't get up. Gavin was a notorious over-sleeper. Gavin loved gaming with friends. He was also becoming something of a music and movie critic: His favorite directors included Wes Anderson and Christopher Nolan. His last school project was to produce and star in an informative and entertaining short documentary about conspiracy theories. Gavin loved music: The Beatles, The Ramones, Brian Wilson, and hip hop artists like MF Doom, Kendrick Lamar, and the Beastie Boys. More recently, he had a hunger for discovering new music and genres from classic rock (King Crimson) to experimental (Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine). He loved making Top Ten lists, but they changed almost daily. Gavin loved food and cooking things like chicken tikka masala, pulled pork and chili, and lately baking yeast breads like French baguettes. He was also addicted to peanut butter and jelly.

Gavin would have turned 17 next month. He is survived by his father, Bruce Holloway and his mother, Cassandra Holloway, both of Brattleboro. He also leaves behind an extended and loving family of aunts, uncles, and cousins. To his family, Gavin will always be their most brilliant light. He left a void that will never be filled, and the thoughts of how he has enriched the lives of so many in his world will stay with them always. His essence, his spirit, his person - every part of him - is carried in all who knew him. 

Memorial information: For those wishing to celebrate Gavin's life with his family, a service will be held Saturday, March 9, at 11 a.m., at the Walpole Unitarian Church, 14 Union St., Walpole, New Hampshire. They welcome anyone wishing to honor Gavin to join them. You may also watch the livestream at evt.live/gavin-holloway. Donations to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee, one of his favorite animal charities. Gavin's love of dinosaurs extended to their modern progeny, the birds of prey. For anyone wishing to leave a story about Gavin and receive updates, go to his CaringBridge page at caringbridge.org/visit/gavinholloway.

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