Louisburg, NC--Dr. Linda Tarte Holley of Louisburg, NC died peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, the end of a long battle with dementia.

Born on October 6, 1940, in Darlington, SC to Kenny and Francis Tarte, she is survived by her husband, Lester, their son Adam, and predeceased by their son Benjamin. A faculty member in the Department of English at North Carolina State University for thirty years, Professor Holley was brilliant, fierce, independent, and energetic. Her love of language, literature, and logic lives on in her scholarly works and the ideas she impressed on all those who knew her: colleagues, friends, family, and many, many students. While her greatest academic passion was teaching and especially teaching the works of Chaucer, she found and gave joy by playing the piano, painting, horseback riding, and singing. And it was the singing that never left her. Being around her it was impossible not to be excited by the possibilities of life. She will be missed but the example she set will be remembered by many.

A celebration of her life will be held on December 28 at 1574 East River Road, Louisburg, NC, the home she and Lester built together. A brief service officiated by the Rev. John Wall will start at 3 p.m. to be followed by refreshments served by Cook Shack Catering.

Paid obituary