Harvey C. Holland

CHAPLAIN (COLONEL) HARVEY C. HOLLAND Chaplain (Colonel) Harvey C. Holland, USAF Retired, died December 1, 2008, at the Ft. Pierce Hospice House of complications from a fall. Born February 12, 1926 in Atlanta, Georgia, he attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia (B.A., 1945) and Union Theological Seminary in New York City (M.Div., 1948). Chaplain Holland was a clergy member of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and served for 23 years as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force stationed in many locations. The three Holland children were born in Okinawa, Texas, and Germany. Following his retirement from the military, he pursued a second career as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the State of Florida and assisted his wife Miriam Holland in her work as a United Methodist pastor in Florida. He earned a Doctor of Education degree from Florida Atlantic University in 1989. On his second retirement he published several fiction and nonfiction works. He provided loving support to his four grandsons Jason Holland, Justin Eastridge, Andrew Eastridge, Tyler Eastridge and a great-granddaughter, Zoe Katherine Kenny. He had a lifelong concern for social justice. Opposition to the death penalty was a major concern. He was an active letter-writer for Amnesty International. Coming into contact with Haitian refugees, he made several work camp trips to Haiti, contributed generously to development efforts there and published a novella on Haiti. He was an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Port St. Lucie. He drove for the River Park Civilian Observation Patrol (COP). For the last 12 years, he served as coordinator of the Annual Fort Pierce CROP Walk. The CROP Walk is an effort to reduce hunger locally and overseas and was an important concern for him. His wife of 57 years, Rev. Miriam Haynes Holland of Port St. Lucie and his sister, Mary Holland Archibald, survive him. Harvey's three children: William Wyatt Holland, George Haynes Holland, Sarah Frances Holland Eastridge, and Youngok Damen and their families mourn his passing. They celebrate his life and influence on them. Memorial services will be held in Atlanta and Port St. Lucie at a later date. Harvey's body will be cremated by The Neptune Society and interred next to his parents in Atlanta, Georgia.