Sharry Diane Holden

Sharry Diane Dennis Holden was born on April 19, 1953 to John Dennis and Flossie Watson Dennis in Makemie Park, Virginia. She reunited with her parents and her daughter, Sharry Lynn Holden in glory on Friday, April 26, 2024.
The youngest of eight children, Diane, as she was lovingly known, had a beautiful smile that lit up a room. Though she was notoriously private, she was filled with love for everyone that she met. She fell in love with Lester Holden and created a wonderful life together. God blessed their union with fifty-three years of marriage and six children.
Diane attended the Accomack County Public School system. In 1966, she created history by being one of the first students to be a part of a five-year pilot desegregation program at Atlantic High School. Although she experienced challenges being one of a handful of black students in an all-white high school, she faced each day with a smile and kindness.
In 1988, her life was changed when she attended her sister Thelma's church, the Pentecostal Church of God, Lincoln Inc. in Newark, Maryland. She accepted Jesus Christ as her savior and began living the rest of her life saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost. Throughout her time there, she and her family were (and still are) heavily involved in various programs at the church. Diane sang in the Voices of Victory and was known for singing the lead for the song Holy Ghost Power. It is through the church that she instilled a sense of ethics, morals, and devotion to The Lord in her family.
Diane loved to go shopping. You could find her at Cato's, Fashion Cent$, Roses, Ross, and here lately, Amazon. She enjoyed watching Walker Texas Ranger, NCIS, and Wheel of Fortune. She also loved to cook and for many years, you could count on Sister Diane to have some fried chicken for her family's lunch at church on Sundays.
In 2009, Diane was first diagnosed with breast cancer. She bravely fought this illness with beauty and strength for the next fifteen years. Even when she was going through various treatments, she made sure that her husband, her children, and her grandchildren were cared for. They were her world, and she was theirs.
Diane is survived by her husband, Deacon Lester James Holden, Sr.; five sons, Lester James Jr. (Meme) of Boylston, MA, Nicholas Travis of Arlington, VA, Colin Jaleel, Alex Trey, and Deon Dennis, all of Temperanceville, VA; five grandchildren, Shawntaye, Xavier, Rondell (Paris), JaKweil and Cordell; sisters, Thelma and Alma; brother, Gralyn; six great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.