Bobby Joe Holland

1930 - 2024

Bobby Joe Holland
Born: October 28, 1930 in Commerce, TX
Died: May 18, 2024 in Pflugerville, TX
Bobby Joe passed away quietly in her sleep in Pflugerville, Texas on May 18, 2024, in the presence of family members. The family is grateful for the care provided by Baylor Scott and White Hospice team members who made her final weeks so painless and peaceful. Bobby was the faithful and devoted wife of Richard Franklin Holland of Athens for 47 years who preceded her in death in September 2000. She had five children, Alan (Danna), Rick (Kathleen), Laura, Karen and Nancy, plus 13 grandkids and 14 great-grandkids. Her daughter Laura also preceded her in death in June 2014.
Bobby Joe was born in Commerce, Texas on October 28, 1930. She was the second of the two children of Clyde Anthony Abernathy and Eva Mae Coomer Abernathy. Bobby Joe's older brother was Lawrence Anthony Abernathy, whose wife was Evelyn Urban Abernathy. They had five kids, Bobby Joe's nieces and nephews, who were Jim, Linda, Susan, Clyde R., and Roy. Family was very important to Bobby Joe and each year she looked forward to the Abernathy reunions. She and her aunts, uncles and cousins grew up in the Great Depression and depended on family for their livelihood and became very close.
Bobby was a graduate of East Texas College, now Texas A&M University at Commerce. Her first job was teaching bookkeeping, typing, and business math at Brownsboro High School. She was a volunteer at the Strecker Natural History Museum in Waco for 14 years as well as a volunteer at the President George Bush Library in College Station, Texas. Bobby Joe was also a board member and volunteer at the Hutto YMCA.
Bobby Joe was a devout Christian. Her mother's family were members of the Methodist Church and her father's family were Church of Christ members. She taught Sunday School all her life and especially enjoyed teaching the children's bible study classes. She was a very active member of the First United Methodist Church in DeKalb IL for 18 years, the Mount Calm United Methodist Church for 16 years, and Richard and Bobby Joe were among the founders and were charter members of the Christ Peters Lutheran Church in Elgin, Texas where she was still teaching a seniors bible study at age 92. The family is grateful for all the loving support expressed by the members of St. Peters Lutheran Church and Pastor Sam in her time of need.
Bobby Joe was a professional level talker, vivacious, fun, well educated, well read, loved music, and loved just living life and being around family most of all. She finally gave up driving this spring at age of 93, but not without a battle. Bobby Joe, in her typically unselfish way has asked that in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to the local food banks, Athens City Cemetery P.O. Box 1296 Athens, Texas 75751 or http://give.am/DickHollandEndowedScholarship
Serving as honorary pallbearers will be her grandsons, Will Holland, Grey Holland, Marshall Holland, Travis Holland, Kyle Holland, Erhart Assad, Clay Smith and Tyler Smith.
Graveside services will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 11:00 AM at Athens City Cemetery, under the direction of Autry's Carroll-Lehr Funeral Home.