Kent Holloway Family Fund

Message from David Morris... My long time friend Kent Holloway passed away the was venting if May 12th. He had just turned 60 years old. He was a long time member of the specialty coffee world. As a pioneer in the industry he opened a coffee shop called Austin Chase in Gig Harbor in 1989. Kent expanded that company and several other companies and projects over the years. I met Kent around 1990/91 and became fast friends with him. He has been a friend, mentor, business partner and positive influence on me. I feel heartbroken today and I am so glad I was able spend time with him lately at the end of his life. I was with him a few days ago and even though he was not feeling great, I was still able to have some good laughs with him about the old days. He even managed to crack some funny jokes himself. Kent was pretty straight-laced but my inappropriate humor always made him laugh. I am so glad he was surrounded by his family last night as he peacefully passed away. I will miss you buddy. | Message from Kerri Goodman... The pain of losing a father while still in the innocence of youth is bewildering and painful. I remember like it was yesterday learning of my father's sudden death and having no comprehension of what that meant. The first week or two was full of family and friends and the house was full of love and concern. What came after was the pain of watching my mother suffer loneliness and the financial burden of raising us on her own. Kent's sudden passing brought those memories flooding back and this is why I would like to join his friends in helping Michele and their children through the challenging days to come. The Coffee Community has always been about strong personal connections, crossing from business to more of "family" like relationships. I have witnessed many acts of sharing and kindness. Kent was an early pioneer in the Seattle coffee scene, founding Austin Chase Coffee in 1989, I got to know Kent in my early coffee days as a passionate instructor for Coffee Fest seminars and only recently reconnected with him on Vashon where his family still resides. Kent's passion for coffee couldn't be contained and often I would awake to freshly roasted beans left outside my front door. I called him my "Coffee fairy" and loved gifts that regularly appeared. We would visit for hours talking about the industry past, present and future. When the COVID Crisis was starting to unfold I decided to make a mad dash to New Zealand to weather the storm with my family there. I was shocked to hear of his passing and will treasure those final coffee talks we shared last winter. I hope you, our coffee family, will join David Morris and myself in helping to ease the burden of his family by contributing to the GoFundMe campaign.