Beth Holtz, wife of legendary Irish head football coach-turned-analyst Lou Holtz, passed away Tuesday at 4:15 p.m., after a lengthy battle with throat cancer. She was 83 years old.
Beth is survived by her four children and her husband of 58 years, Lou. Lou Holtz was the head coach of the Irish from 1986 to 1996, tallying a 100-30-2 record and most notably bringing a National Championship trophy to South Bend in 1988.
Beth began her battle with throat cancer as Lou's time coaching at Notre Dame was coming to a close. As Lou was wrapping up his coaching career at South Carolina in 1999, Beth's cancer had spread to her liver, lung, ovary and adrenal gland. After 83 radiation treatments, the lining of her throat and esophagus became irreparable.
Beth was actively involved in several charities throughout her lifetime, including one less than a year ago for pediatric ear, nose, throat and audiology work at a hospital in Florida.
Family members and friends took to Twitter to share their condolences, including Notre Dame Athletics:
[embed]https://twitter.com/FightingIrish/status/1278458744817532928?s=20[/embed]
Her eldest son Skip — a Notre Dame graduate and now the head football coach at Louisiana Tech — posted a photo with his mother shortly after her passing.
Legendary college basketball analyst Dick Vitale, a close friend of the Holtz family, also expressed his condolences.
“Today my family is saddened to learn of the passing of my friend Lou Holtz’s wife Beth,” he said in a tweet. “She courageously battled throat cancer for years, and they shared 58 years together in marriage and the love they displayed for each other inspired many. May Beth RIP.”
The voice of Notre Dame men's basketball Jack Nolan shared his emotions in a tweet Wednesday morning.
“I have never met a kinder, classier woman than Beth Holtz,” he said. “Her long, courageous battle with cancer was inspiring to all. It was an honor to have known her. Prayers to the entire Holtz Family.”
Several former players of Lou Holtz coached also shared their condolences on Twitter.
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