Louis Holler: Helping others find work, a purpose in life was his calling

As head of the development program for Dorothy Kret & Associates, he and those he supervised helped people with disabilities get the training they needed to become employable.

"He had the ability to instill hope just by knowing you," said colleague Mei Lin Gonzales.

"He gave people direction and he gave back a purpose to life that they may never have had. He helped people find life again," she said. "It wasn't anything he tried to do. It was just how he was. He cared and he kept his word and he meant what he said."

Though described by colleagues as a workaholic, Holler always had time for his children, Miguel, 32, and Marisela, 11. He'd taken the afternoon off work Dec. 22 to go Christmas shopping with his children when he had a massive heart attack in his home and died. He was 58.

Holler was born in Nogales, Ariz., and grew up on both sides of the border.

As a young man, Holler turned to partying, which landed him a short stint in a substance-abuse treatment center. It was an experience that gave him a new direction in life. He dedicated himself to social service.

"He was given a second chance and he excelled," Miguel Holler said.

Louis Holler became a counselor at the treatment center and later worked with runaway teens. For the last 11 years, he worked at Dorothy Kret & Associates.

Chris Zabramny, former program director at the employment agency, interviewed Holler for the position of job coach. At the time, Holler had been working as an administrator for a children's services organization.

"He said, 'I'm tired of working with papers. I need to work with people and help them,' " Zabramny said.

"He wanted to make a difference. He wanted to help and have direct influence on services for people with disabilities. He was highly overqualified, of course, but his expertise and knowledge were what we needed," she said.

Soon after he was hired, Holler earned a promotion and spent most of his time in what Zabramny called his "office on wheels," driving through Southern Arizona to provide employment services in rural areas. Eventually, Holler replaced Zabramny and ran all the job-development programs.

"He had a great sense of humor and he liked people in general," Zabramny said. "He believed everybody could be successful, but at the same time he could confront people very nicely to challenge them to succeed."

Eva Escalante, who works for the Department of Economic Security in Douglas, said Holler's expertise provided many opportunities for her clients.

"He was very conscientious of the population needs; also he was very knowledgeable of our employer network, but most important he had that special commitment to go that extra mile to find that person's strength," Escalante said. "He gave people the opportunity to explore what they wanted to do."

Clara Romero met Holler when she was a client of Dorothy Kret & Associates. Eventually, Holler hired her to work at the agency and they developed a close familial friendship.

"He took a lot of time to show me how things could get done and … make it easier for me to be able to succeed," Romero said. "I felt like I did succeed with him at my side. I felt like I became a person. I had a lot of downfalls. I wasn't very proud of myself. He showed me that I could be."

Holler befriended many clients.

"Louie had this knack of meeting people through work and they became friends," said Dorothy "Dot" Kret, president of the employment agency. "Because so many people became his friend, he didn't look at people like clients. He didn't make that distinction. He treated everybody like friends.

"A good job developer knows the personality of the company as well as the personality of their client," Kret said. "Louie could value people for who they were and the special gifts they had."

Holler's guidance wasn't reserved only for his clients.

"My dad was my everything. My dad raised me pretty much by himself," Miguel Holler said. Miguel saw his mother on weekends, but "mostly it was me and my father. I am my father."

Louis Holler taught his son to embrace diversity in people, work through adversity and take responsibility for his actions. He made sure his son knew the importance of hard work, making him finish his chores before he could go outside to play, "but when it was time to play, we played," Miguel Holler said.

Father and son spent weekends traveling to Rocky Point, Patagonia Lake and Oak Creek Canyon. Though they couldn't afford the fanciest accommodations, Miguel Holler said his father made the most out of what they had.

Just before Holler's death, he and Miguel spent a weekend in Las Vegas cheering on the University of Arizona football and basketball teams. Father and son shared a love of sports and cooking, and Holler adored his three grandchildren.

The death of his father has been hard on Miguel, who has framed one of his father's 50 trademark Hawaiian shirts as a reminder of happier times.

"He was my guy I went to everything on," Miguel said. "Now I'm lost and I'm scared. He was my teacher, my mentor, my best friend. He was truly my everything."

the series

This feature chronicles the lives of recently deceased Tucsonans. Some were well-known across the community. Others had an impact on a smaller sphere of friends, family and acquaintances. Many of these people led interesting — and sometimes extraordinary — lives with little or no fanfare. Now you'll hear their stories. Past "Life Stories" are online at go.azstarnet.com/lifestories

On StarNet

Did you know Louis Holler? Add your remembrance to this article online at azstarnet.com/lifestories