Maria L. Holtz

Maria L. Holtz, 64, of Beverly died on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at Kaplan Family Hospice in Danvers after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Born in 1957 in Seattle, Washington, Maria Holtz knew what she wanted early on. By age 6 she was at the ballet barre and by age 17 she was a professional dancer at the West Berlin Ballet Company. "Swan Lake" and "Giselle" were among the ballets she performed on tour around the world. She shared the stage with ballet luminaries like Rudolf Nureyev and opera stars like Placido Domingo. After her dance career peaked and the Berlin Wall came down, she made the difficult transition into the business world, wearing many hats, from realtor to employee at Krohne in Beverly, where she made her home since 1998. As she worked and cared for her mother Nancy, she brought up many kittens and took care to feed the birds, chipmunks and squirrels daily. She could quote whole poems by Emily Dickinson and was an avid fan of Willa Cather's novels. She would often repeat her core values: "Be kind to others. We are here to help each other through life. Try to make other people's lives better." She would walk to and from the Beverly Airport early every weekend in good weather and bad, even as cancer came upon her. She was predeceased by her parents and brother Rolf Holtz. "If there comes a time we can't be together, keep me in your heart and I will be there forever," she said, quoting from "Winnie the Pooh." Like the dying swan she portrayed onstage, Maria's outer wings flutter no more while her inner wings continue to stretch and soar into eternity. Funeral services for Maria will be held privately. Donations may be made in her memory to the Cape Ann Animal Shelter. Arrangements by the Campbell Funeral Home, 525 Cabot Street, Beverly. Information, directions, condolences at www.campbellfuneral.com.