MARGARET "Kirkie" HOLLAND

1933 - 2020

HOLLAND MARGARET KIRK BRAGG HOLLAND "Kirkie" Margaret Kirk Bragg "Kirkie" Holland, passed away peacefully at her home in Reston, VA on November 5, 2020, roughly four hours shy of her 87th birthday. She was another unfortunate victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is survived by her three children: Martha Holland Mason (Wayne) of Leesburg, VA; Peter Christopher Holland II (Kelly) of Arlington, VA; Margaret "Marnie" Holland Schaar (Kevin) of Reston, VA; her 10 grandchildren: Ryan, Michael, Anna Clair, Lydia, Sam, Liam, Charlie, Charlotte, Ruth, and Luke; and a great-grandson, Finley. Born November 6, 1933 and raised as an only child in Columbia, MO, Kirk lost both of her parents before finishing college at the University of Missouri, where she graduated with a degree in Journalism in 1955. Shortly after college, she moved to New York City where she met her husband of 24 years, Peter Christopher Holland of Newton, MA. They were married on April 8, 1961 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and later moved to York, PA where Martha was born. They moved again in 1968 to Cape Cod, MA where Chris and Marnie were born. Unfortunately, the marriage would not last and in 1978 Kirk made the bold decision to start a new life and move with her children to the Washington, DC area. After staying with relatives in Rockville, MD for nine months, they settled into Reston, VA, where Kirk would end up spending the final 41 years of her life. While raising her three children there, she also started a career as a technical librarian working for defense contractors Raytheon (for 10 years) and John J. McMullen Associates (for 12 years) before retiring in 2002. All three children would graduate from South Lakes High School and eventually settle in with their own families in Northern Virginia, all within a 30 minute drive of their "Kirkie-mom." Kirk will always be remembered for her vivacious personality, her perpetual positivity, her fierce independence, and her love of family. Due to the pandemic, a small private memorial service to celebrate Kirk's life will take place at the Walker Nature Center in Reston, VA on Saturday, November 21. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made in Kirk's name to NF2 Biosolutions, a charitable advocacy and research group for patients who suffer from neurofibromatosis Type 2, a genetic disorder that resulted in Kirk's loss of vision, hearing, and rendered her unable to walk during the final 10 years of her life. Due to the pandemic, a small private memorial service to celebrate Kirk's life will take place at the Walker Nature Center in Reston, VA on Saturday, November 21. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made in Kirk's name to NF2 Biosolutions, a charitable advocacy and research group for patients who suffer from neurofibromatosis Type 2, a genetic disorder that resulted in Kirk's loss of vision, hearing, and rendered her unable to walk during the final 10 years of her life.