Whatley Ray Holland

Whatley Ray Holland was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on April 21, 1943 to Mary Lou (Kirschke) Holland and his stepfather Carl Holland. He preferred to go by Ray and was known as “Bucky” to his family and friends. He grew up on the outskirts of Little Rock in the countryside and spent many hours outdoors and loved to joke around with people as well, although it was among many difficulties. His mother left when he was three years old, and he lived with different relatives and in orphanages. He also worked in a brick factory as a child before and after school. Some of his relatives, that he lived with, were unfortunately effected greatly by alcoholism; many times there was no food to eat.  While living in a Catholic orphanage, a nun had gotten his class to sign a pledge promising to never drink alcohol or smoke, which he never did. It was during these difficulties that he began searching for God.

 After graduating from Central High School, he joined the US Navy and served during the Vietnam war from 1962-1972. He spent much of the time on submarines and ships as a NAVDAC technician dealing with electronics. He was honorably discharged after his 10 years of service, where he had many adventures. After his service, he began working for UPS as a truck driver, where he worked for 31 years, until he retired in 2003.

 He was married to Patricia Taylor from April 1967-1977. He is survived by his son Stheven Holland and his wife Leauna (Pack) Holland, his daughter Sthveny (Holland) Seban and her husband Francis Seban. He also leaves four grandchildren : Jessica (Selby) Knox, Ashley Selby, Connor Pack and his wife Laura Pack, and Ian Holland, and five great grandchildren, Jemma Pack, Calvin Pack, Rhett Oliver, Cade Knox, and Ellie Seban. He is preceded in death by his mother Mary L.(Kirschke) Cox, his brother Paul Holland, and his sister Bernice (Holland) Smith. 

During his life, he was always seeking to know the truth about God and the Bible for himself, and he found what he was looking for in the Seventh Day Adventist church and joined around 1993/1994. He had a deep passion for the salvation of his family, friends, and anyone he met. He wanted them to know and experience the love of Christ for themselves. He was deeply loved by many and he was a true man of Christ. He loved God and his family and would do anything for them, never expecting anything in return. He showed us the love of God and wanted nothing more than the good of those he met and loved. In him you could see a true Christ-like character. He would go out of his way to help anyone in need and never met a stranger. His absence has left a big hole in our hearts, but more importantly he has left us with a legacy of love for God in our lives.

 

Funeral services will be held Friday October 18, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2188 Taylor Avenue, Ogden, Utah. Family and friends may visit from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. prior to the service.

 Interment, Utah Veterans Memorial Park, Bluffdale , Utah.

 The funeral service will be live-streamed and may be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of Ray’s obituary page at www.lindquistmortuary.com

 Arrangements entrusted to Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 N. Fairfield Rd., Layton, Utah.

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