Obituary of Holly Grant Tunstall

Holly Grant Tunstall peacefully died in her sleep, at her home in Monterey on November 29. She was the beloved wife of Dennis Tunstall, mother of Heather Blomfield Lee, mother-in-law to Ronald Lee, sister of Duncan Grant, who preceded her in death, sister of Stewart Grant, and sister-in-law to Linda Grant. She also is survived by her beloved stepchildren Shannon Evenstad and Lacey Dann, their husbands, Kyle and James and their children, Cassandra, Joshua, Abigail and Casey. Other deeply loved and closest family members include Ruth Tunstall Grant, Sheehan Grant and Indira Chakrabarti and their daughter, Luxmi, and Ian and Holly Grant and their children, Logan, Katie and Zane. Holly was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan and graduated from Saginaw Arthur Hill High School in 1956 and Albion College in 1960. She also held a Master's Degree in Education from Oakland University in Michigan. She was a gifted and devoted educator. She enjoyed a rich and distinguished career of over 40 years teaching in the Royal Oak Michigan public schools, boldly leading the Royal Oak teachers union as its president, and in later years, serving in the administration of the Royal Oak Public School District and the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. She also served as the Executive Director of Leadership Monterey. Holly deeply loved her community, living for 20 years in the Monterey home her father George Grant III and his wife Mary had shared for many years before their own deaths. Holly and her husband, Dennis, celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in September 2014. They lived their lives together with joy and gusto, volunteering at Meals on Wheels, devouring new coursework at Gentrain, hosting legendary poker parties and conquering the local trivia pub quizzes. Holly also was a passionate supporter of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, bringing her exceptional teaching skills to her service as a docent. She also freely gave her volunteer time to the Church in the Forest and the Monterey Museum of Art, and shared bell-ringing duties with her husband for the Salvation Army during the holiday season. Above all, Holly treasured her family and abundant friendships. Many friends in far-flung places remember Holly with deepest love and affection for her warmth, humor and generosity of spirit. Her beautiful smile and caring heart touched many lives. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday December 20 at 1:30 pm at the Church in the Forest (Stevenson School), 3152 Forest Lake Road, Pebble Beach, CA 93953. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that any remembrances be given to Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula and Fix Our Ferals of Berkeley, California.