Eunice Hollenkamp

Eunice Lucille Puryear Hollenkamp, 89, died Tuesday, January 6, 2026, surrounded by her loving husband of 65 years, Ronald, and all five of her chicks, Eunice Marie Cronin (Alan), Ronald "Buster" Hollenkamp (Susan), Doreen McConnell (Tommy), Robert Hollenkamp (Missy), and Jacqueline Bentley (Eric).
Her beautiful life of love, sacrifice, patience and perseverance is an inspiration to all who have been graced to have known her. Born on April 28, 1936, to Napoleon and Eula Puryear, on a small Kentucky farm on the border of Marion and Taylor counties, she and her brothers, William, Walter, Edgar and Leonard, ran the countryside playing in the fields and getting into all kinds of scrapes together. She first learned the joys of motherhood when her baby sister, Jewell, was born, and became responsible for her care due to her ill mother.
Sadly, life took a devastating turn when she and her siblings were moved to Louisville and placed into separate orphanages -- she and Jewell to St. Vincent Orphanage on Payne Street. She credited the nuns for giving her valuable life skills, in addition to a love of education. From sporadically going to their rural, one-room schoolhouse as children, she went on to graduate with high marks from Presentation Academy in 1957, persevering to get an education and do all she can to make a better life for herself, all the while making sure she and her siblings always stayed in touch and visited each other. It was that strength and determination that served as a constant inspiration to her family over the decades.
While attending Presentation, she was fostered and cared for by Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Brown, who happily stood by her when she met and married the handsome Ronald Hollenkamp in 1960, moving into their Anna Lane home where they lived for 65 years. It was there she raised their children and neighborhood children, faithfully attended Mass every week, and did everything humanely possible to make sure her "chicks" had amazing childhoods, guiding them with a never-ending love to make sure they became strong, independent adults, and making sure they always knew her love was unconditional and she would do anything and everything for them.
To say she loved babies and children is an understatement. Her greatest joy was evident whenever she was around her children, her grandbabies, and even her great-grandbabies. When she held them, they knew they were in the arms of the most loving mother and grandmother any one could wish for.
Too many to name will mourn her, most especially her husband Ronnie, her five children and spouses, her grandchildren Nicole Estes (Jason), A.J. Cronin (Anisha), Tiffany Cronin, Danielle Pullen (Derek), Brad Hollenkamp, Tyler Hollenkamp, Alexandra McPherson (Brandon), Atom McConnell, Austin McConnell (Megan), Tyler Hoback, Corey Hollenkamp, Shawn Bentley, Nicholas Bentley, Annie Bentley; her great-grandchildren, Ethan, Landon, Gavin, Mason, Celine, Maggie, Lucy, Arielle, Amelia, Aurora, Amadeus, June, Ruby, Rex, Caroline, Thomas and Lauralee; and her first "baby", her sister, Jewell and many nieces and nephews.
Eunice's Funeral Mass will be on Saturday, at 11 a.m. at Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 3509 Taylor Blvd. with burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery. Her visitation will be from 2- 8 p.m. on Friday.