C. Jonah Holland

1973 - 2022

HOLLAND, C. Jonah, 49, died on August 13, 2022. She was born on July 23, 1973, in Washington D.C., to parents Susan Huff Schmitt and Carl H. Schmitt and grew up in Springfield, Va. She is survived by Susan Schmitt; her sister, Elisa Richards; her beloved children, Josie and Grayson; former partner, John; and many cousins, aunts, uncles and friends. Jonah loved fiercely and valued kindness as a spiritual practice. She might secretly drop off flowers on your doorstep or reach out on social media when she learned through a friend of a friend that you were struggling. She lived with her whole heart. She will be dearly missed by our community. She loved the work of Buddhist monk Thict Nhat Hanh whose mission was to bring healing to the world. The following quote resonated with her because of her deep love of the ocean and the wonder and healing presence of nature.

"The wave may be caught in the idea that 'I am here now and I won't be here later.' And the wave may feel afraid or even angry. But the wave also has her ocean body. She has come from the ocean, and she will go back to the ocean. She has both her wave body and her ocean body. She is not only a wave; she is also the ocean." - Thict Nhat Hanh

After graduating from VCU, Jonah's professional path led her to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden where she served as digital content manager for 14 years. As a social media pioneer, she was passionate about promoting the Garden which she loved, posting content highlighting the latest blooms and events. She grew their social media following to 2.4 million, resulting in the Garden's consistent top rankings in USA Today "Top 10" contests and its reputation as a nationally known botanical garden. Always generous in sharing her expertise, Jonah mentored many Garden interns and helped others in the tourism industry in Richmond and beyond as a speaker and workshop leader. She won a Shorty Award for effective Twitter content in the cultural institution category, received the National Travel and Tourism Week Tourism Leadership Award (Richmond region) and was named one of Style Weekly's Top 40 Under 40 for her role as a community influencer. Kind and encouraging, Jonah endeared herself to those whose lives she touched. She deeply cared about her family and community. On her Twitter page she called herself "Mom, open-water swimmer, yogi, locavore, quasi gardener, seeker," but she was also a compassionate listener, inspiration to colleagues and friends and enthusiastic cyclist. She was a member of the Richmond Triathlon Club, Richmond Area Bicycling Association, Wolfpack Alpha Cycling and the Virginia Beach Openwater Swim series; she welcomed newcomers to activities with her warm and inclusive way. A lover of nature and travel, recently her adventuresome spirit took her to Corfu, Greece where she swam in the Ionian Sea. Jonah taught us through her example that love is a need like food and water and life's meaning might be to love as much as possible, which she truly did.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Jonah on Sunday, October 2, 2022, 10 to 11 a.m. at Bloemendaal House, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave., 23228.

Many have reached out to support our family at this time. We are exceedingly grateful. The following are links to a VA529 account where you can contribute to Josie and Grayson's college tuition. https://www.virginia529.com/gifting/

Grayson Red Holland Gift ID: P662UUY Grayson VA529

Josephine Mae Holland Gift ID: CLRVTGM Josie VA529

If you would like to honor Jonah in some other way, please contact Jonah's dear friend Susan Higgins (jonahhollandlegacy@gmail.com).