By Heather Wallace

Sounder contributor

Over two decades ago, Zach Holley packed up his truck with the full intention of leaving Orcas Island … and never coming back. But fate had other plans for him. And his family and the residents of Orcas are better for it.

Over the years, Holley has worn many hats: coach, landscaper, chef, DIYer, husband, dad, friend and survivor. Each of these titles has been well earned and all have taught him about the importance of family and friends.

Probably known best as the chef at the Orcas Island public school, Holley has been creating nutritious breakfast and lunch options for students over the last 16 years. Referring to himself as the “school bartender,” the position has given him the opportunity to create a safe space for every student he interacts with – many times becoming the sounding board for life challenges and frustrations, but also giving him an opportunity to encourage. He is, in a sense, a provider to the students he serves – both with emotional support and food security.

“I get everybody for 10 seconds a day, and in those 10 seconds, I’ve noticed I’m a safe space,” says Holley. “I’m consistent and reliable. I’m giving them something that they really need and that I want to give them, and I’m putting my passion and my heart into it.”

But his lifelong dream was not to become a chef – it was to be called “dad.” And while he and his wife, Mandy Randolph, still argue about the genesis story of how they first met, it is evident his dream has come true. In more ways than he could have ever imagined.

The Holley household is a warm, inviting space — filled with lots of energy and full of laughter. This blended and growing family, can be found casually sitting around the dining room table throwing equal amounts of compliments and sarcasm around while watching Holley create another dinner masterpiece.

Jordan was just 6 years old when Holley and Randolph started dating, but the transition to a father figure was an easy one for Holley.

“I’ve always wanted kids,” he says. “My whole goal in life was to be a dad. Even as a kid I just wanted to be a dad. I felt like my purpose in life was to have kids. So, I feel like the transition was super easy in a weird way. Every moment was kind of what I lived for. It just felt right.”

And while Jordan calls him “Zach,” he considers him a father, identifying many attributes he admires about him.

“The biggest lesson I learned from Zach was consistency,” says Jordan. “I think I learned that early on through school and seeing how he impacted kids. But I started to realize it when something happened where I needed somebody. My first thought was, ‘Well, Zach is going to be there. He always will be.’ There’s so many levels where if you just need him and if he can’t help you, then he’s there the first second he can be. I use that level of consistency and showing up for people in my own life now, in my day to day as a manager at my job. It goes a long way.”

“He’s taught me to never be afraid to try something new and to put myself out of my comfort zone,” says Bethany Hansen, Jordan’s fiancé and someone the Holley crew has considered part of the family since she was in high school.

“Everything he works on is his first time doing it,” she says. “Whether renovating his kitchen or helping us renovate our house, or working on the lawnmower. It’s like, with each thing, he’s always willing to learn, and research, and understand, and pass knowledge.”

“And there’s a lot of mistake making in those moments,” adds Holley.

“But you’ve taught us how to learn from mistakes,” says Johnny Holley, Zach and Mandy’s youngest son.

Mistakes are simply learning tools in their home.

“I’m sure I might be ashamed of some of the bad,” says Holley, “But I’m not gonna hide it because it’s made me who I am, which has made [my kids] who they are.”

In addition to raising Jordan, Holley and Randolph have also helped care for other children in their immediate families, but none of them called Zach “dad” until Johnny was born.

“I kind of learned parenting in a weird order because I started with Jordan when he was six,” says Holley. “He was already potty trained so I never had to learn how to do that! And so I probably went in being too strict because I’m like, ‘Well, I have to be a dad. I have to create rules. Or, you know, I have to make him eat tomatoes because when I was a kid, I was made to eat tomatoes and I hated them.’”

“Ask him how many tomatoes he’s made Johnny eat,” Jordan says sarcastically.

“With Jordan there was more of a friend aspect,” says Holley. “And then I started at birth with Johnny, and I’m like, ‘Oh, wait, there’s more!’ And it kind of evolved. It grew again. Now I’m raising Johnny and I would like to be his best friend, but I’m also his dad. And I get to teach him different things that I didn’t get to teach Jordan.”

While Holley is doing all he can to impart wisdom to his family, they are, in turn, teaching him about what it means to be a dad.

“I think they’ve definitely taught me empathy, and I don’t think I was ever able to express that,” says Holley. “They’ve taught me that it’s really not important what I want. Because in a weird way all I want, and I truly want it, is for them to be happy and succeed and to see their smile.”

In 2021 Holley received some frightening news. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor and eventually had a craniotomy to remove it. And while his family was worried, Holley says it didn’t really change his viewpoint on life.

“I love my family now. I loved them before,” says Holley. “So the time I want to spend with them now, I always did. I was not as worried as my family was. I was more focused on getting a memory out of each day, but I’ve always kind of done that. And I still do that.”

“Family is really important and can be gone, just like that,” says Jordan. “So maybe it didn’t affect him, but it affected all of us. I instantly realized how much of an impact he made in my life – an influence, a friend. It has expanded our relationship on a lot of levels. So for me, it definitely changed the way that I interact with him, in general.”

Added Johnny: “I think after the brain tumor, you wanted to hang out with us more. You started playing the games I was playing. And you started golfing with [Jordan]. You started doing all that stuff with us that we liked to do. You helped me with my YouTube channel, and now you have a YouTube channel too.”

Holley’s channel, “The DOAT” (Dad of All Trades), can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@getDoated.

And what advice would Holley give to other dads during this special time of the year?

“I’m not doing everything right. I don’t have it all together,” says Holley. “I am trying my best. And I’ve learned something, actually, through Johnny. I have learned that I need to constantly take a step back, calm down my inner self and think for a minute. And then I can usually persevere, and move forward. It’s not easy. And it only looks easy because there was a lot of groundwork. You have to learn to do that groundwork and make it enjoyable to you. The more enjoyable it is to you, the more you’re willing to do it, and the better you will do it. Because you know what? It’s not all self-sacrifice. I feel good when I do that, so I’m getting something out of it also. … I have passed this phrase on from my father, ‘Every day and in every way you get better and better.’”