HGTV’s Erin Napier Mourns Death of Former ‘Home Town’ Guest
What To Know
- Erin Napier paid tribute to Judi Holifield, a beloved former Home Town client and community leader in Laurel, Mississippi.
- Erin and Ben Napier helped created Holifield’s dream home on the Season 3 finale of Home Town in 2019.
- Holifield notably served as the director of Laurel Main Street from 2011 to 2020.
Erin Napier is mourning one of Home Town‘s most memorable guests.
The HGTV star paid tribute to her former client, Judi Holifield, following her death on December 13. “She started all this. And we were so lucky to know her,” Napier wrote in a since-expired Instagram Story, per EntertainmentNow.
Holifield appeared on the Season 3 finale of Home Town in 2019. The episode saw Holifield enlist Erin and her husband, Ben Napier, to create the perfect home for herself and her son, Allen, in Laurel, Mississippi.
“Judi has been the director of Laurel Main Street for, I guess, close to 10 years,” Erin said during the episode. The couple noted that “the tide turned for Laurel” once Holifield took charge in the community.
The episode featured Erin and Ben attending a ballroom dancing class with Holifield before eventually surprising her and Allen with their completed home. The couple added some special touches to the house, including using wood from a local school’s old gymnasium, where Holifield had her first job.
“I absolutely love the fact that it looks like a home again instead of a, kind of, forgotten piece of property,” Holifield said in a confessional, while Erin added, “It’s so perfect for her. It’s the right size and the right place at the right time. And I think it feels just like her, and I hope she feels at home.”
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Per an online obituary, Holifield passed away in her home, surrounded by family, on December 13. Holifield was born and raised in Laurel and began her career “began her career as a choral director at Northeast Jones High School and went on to serve many other schools and churches, touching countless lives as a music educator,” the obit states. “After an extensive teaching career, she put her passion for the arts to work at the Mississippi Arts Commission, and ended her career as the Executive Director of Laurel Main Street.”
In addition to her children and grandchildren, Holifield is survived by her “companion of many years,” Lowery Hicks.
Laurel Main Street’s official Instagram page posted a touching tribute to Holifield on Tuesday, December 16. “Judi Holifield was the leader of Laurel Main Street from 2011-2020. Under her leadership, Downtown Laurel was transformed into a thriving business district that’s been shared the world over,” the page wrote over photos of Holifield with Laurel residents over the years. “She worked tirelessly alongside City and County leaders, entrepreneurs, volunteers, and eventually, a network television crew, to shape both the physical environment and the community spirit of Downtown.”
The tribute continued, “Her influence in the classroom and through Main Street have given so many of us the courage to pursue what we love. She would shrug off the gratitude, but our hope is that she always knew how deeply she was loved by those she touched. She is irreplaceable.”
Erin and Ben will soon help more people in the Laurel community create their dream homes when Home Town returns for Season 10 next year.
Home Town, Season 10 Premiere, Sunday, January 4, 8/7c, HGTV
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