Gary D. Holland

Gary Dean Holland, 75, of Bloomington, died March 26 at Bloomington Hospital. An avid golfer and lifelong sports fan, he was born May 27, 1938 in Madison, WI, the son of Victor and Edna (Neumann) Holland. His favorite teams were the Green Bay Packers (of which he was proud owner of one share) and the Wisconsin Badgers. He graduated from Wisconsin High School in Madison, where he played on the varsity football, basketball and tennis teams, and the state championship volleyball team. He was also a member of the Glee Club and sang in a barbershop quartet. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy, serving a four-year tour of duty; then returned to Wisconsin, graduating with a degree in business from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. In his early career, he was a salesman for various companies and owned a firm in Appleton, WI, which specialized in recruiting people for the print industry. While in Appleton, he was also active in the Children's Theater program with his twin daughters. Holland moved to Bloomington in 1993, becoming a reluctant but supportive fan of the IU Hoosiers, and a near-daily fixture at Cascades Golf Club. He spent the final years of his full-time career as a district manager in the circulation department of the Herald-Times, retiring in August 2012. At the time of his death, he worked part-time for Town and Country Chrysler Dodge Jeep. Holland's first love was his family. His second was golf - a game he always said was his specialty because he had mastered it, "except for distance and direction." Those who played with him regularly considered him the world's luckiest golfer, because after every good shot he would say, "Well, that was just lucky." His many friends and close family will always remember him for his unswerving loyalty and fierce love, his quirky wit and the many anecdotes he told about his youth in Madison. Surviving are his wife, Debra "Kit" Holland of Bloomington; five children -- Michele (John) Eimon of Oconomowoc, WI, Melissa Holland Mansika (Arron) of Boulder, CO, Stacy Gano of Bloomington, IN, Rebecca (Bryan) Turner of Louisville KY, and Ryan "Alex" Trisler of Bloomington, IN; and seven grandchildren - Lily and Noah Eimon, Maxwell Holland Mansika, Stephanie and Andrew "AJ" Gano, and Vera and Thad Turner. Also surviving are two sisters - Kathy (George) Luther of Sun Prairie, WI, and Mary (Steve) Nelson of McFarland, WI, and several nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to the Junior Golf program at Cascades Golf Course. The checks should be written to the City of Bloomington, with "For Junior Golf Club in Memory of Gary Holland" in the memo line, and should be mailed to Cascades Golf Course, c/o Pro Aaron Craig, 3550 N Kinser Pike, Bloomington, IN 47401. (812) 349-3764. Memorial services are being planned in Bloomington, IN and in Madison, WI. Arrangements are being handled by Allen Funeral Home in Bloomington.

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Gary D. Holland

May 27, 1938 - March 26, 2014