Neal Alexander Holland Sr.

Neal Alexander Holland Sr., 94, died April 1 at his home.
Funeral services will be held at Central Park Baptist Church today, April 3, 2006, at 1 p.m. with Dr. Craig Carlisle, the Rev. Tandy Vaughn, and the Rev. Ty Patterson officiating and Shelton Funeral Home directing.
Neal was born in rural Lawrence County on Sept. 24, 1911, to Thomas Irvin Holland Sr. and Della Gillespie Holland. He was the third of eight children. As America was coming out of the Great Depression, Neal purchased his first small dump truck with $200 borrowed from his father and began his business.
Originally deferred for the draft due to his age, he would enter military service in February of 1942 as a member of the 2nd Chemical Mortar Battalion with the 45th Division. He went on to see combat in Northern Africa and Southern Europe, participating in the invasions of Sicily, Salerno, Casino, and Rome. During a furlough in 1943, Neal married Catherine Blaxton. The couple was married for 36 years and had three children. Catherine died from cancer in 1979.
After returning from the war, Neal resumed his business venture. His best friend, Felton Woodard, was discharged three months after Neal and the two began the foundation of Holland and Woodard Co. Inc. Their small trucking business grew into a diversified general contracting company engaged in sand, stone, trucking and site preparation work and employed hundreds in the area over the last 61 years. Neal played a part in laying the foundation of much of the city of Decatur as well as Morgan County and the state of Alabama. He was a past president of the Alabama Crushed Stone Association. In 1994, the contracting division of Holland and Woodard Co. Inc. was purchased by APAC, a division of Ashland Oil. The successor company, Holland Co. Inc., continues in the sand, stone, and trucking to this day where Neal served as the Chairman of the Board.
Neal was an active member of the Decatur community. He was a member of Central Park Baptist Church for 56 years, a member of the Rising Sun Lodge No. 29 where he received his Fifty-Year Apron, the Cahaba Temple and the Decatur Shrine Club. He always had a funny story or witty comeback and it was rare for him to meet a stranger. In 1986, he married Emma Hamby Jackson and the two have lived happily ever since. Neal was able to spend his last day on this earth just as he had so many others; he spent time at work and spent time with his family.
He is survived by his wife, Emma Holland of Decatur; his son, Neal Holland Jr. and his wife, Sherry, of Decatur; two daughters, Helen Holland Sanderson and Joan Holland Wynn and her husband, Charlie, all of Decatur; one stepson, Kyra Jackson and his wife, Wendy, of Asheville; two stepdaughters, Jeanene Hull and her husband, Jerry, of Sheffield and Tommie DeVaney and her husband, Gary, of Florence; one brother, Thomas I. Holland Jr. of Decatur; and one sister Elizabeth Bingham of Hillsboro; nine grandchildren; Amy Wynn Jackson, Brian Wynn, Ty Patterson, Alexandria Holland, Jackson Holland, Jordan Holland, Sawyer Holland, Sterling Holland and Lily Catherine Holland; one great-granddaughter, Anna Catherine Jackson; and three stepgrandchildren and one stepgreat-granddaughter.
Pallbearers will be Jerry Hull, Gary DeVaney, Bobby Sanderson, Newell Cagle, Wayne Blaxton, and Charles “Butch” Case.
Honorary pallbearers will be the Ezra Sunday school class at Central Park and current and former employees of Holland and Woodard Co. Inc. and Holland Co. Inc.