Page 14 - Holly Carney Issue (3)

Holly Carney…A Labor of love

By Judith A. Habert
Photos by Lisa K. Miller

When first meeting Holly Carney you can’t help but notice alternative to sitting in front of the TV or computer for hours
her breathtaking beauty. But within moments of speaking on end.
with her you soon find the beauty of this lady goes way There is however a fourth child - perhaps the one that has
beyond her appearance. Her excitement, when she speaks made the biggest impact on the family: Kodi. Although Kodi
about the things that are most important to her, can be seen is not their child but their niece, they have taken her into
in the way her
eyes light up.
You soon come
to understand
why she has the
effect she does
on all of those
around her. She
is married to
NFL placekicker
(and former San
Diego Charger)
John Carney.
Their home is a
thing of beauty,
but more impor-
tantly it is filled
14 with photographs
representing pre-
cious memories
of their children,
family members,
some of the
experiences they
have shared,
and people they
have met over
the years. It is
warm, friendly,
and breathtaking
- not unlike its in-
habitants. John,
Holly’s husband,
is charming and
friendly and
very unassuming.
Football has been the center of their lives with the family their family and refer to her as one of their kids. Kodi is the
moving around wherever John is currently playing. As Holly daughter of Holly’s brother who passed away after a long
states, “We don’t do well when we are apart.” So if the chil- battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
dren need to be homeschooled for awhile to accommodate Kodi is a beautiful 16 year old and her pictures stand as
the schedule, then Holly steps in. She is a former school prominently among the other photos in the Carney home.
teacher so this works well for their lifestyle. With a tough childhood, and a Mom who abandoned her at
If you ask about their children Holly will tell you about their the age of 4 months, Kodi was raised by her Dad. When
wonderful kids. Their children, Kiki, JD, and Luke are all her Dad became ill and subsequently passed away it be-
beautiful children who were raised to care about others came obvious that Kodi needed help. She was a teenager
and to share what they have. They don’t have Playstation, in crisis. She had run away, gotten into trouble repeatedly,
Xbox, or Wii. Nor do they have computers since both Mom and just seemed to have lost faith in the people around her.
and Dad believe that they should enjoy the beauty of the People left her and her young mind could not understand
outdoors. The children are all involved in sports, a healthy why, so she rebelled.
July/August 2008