Kathy Holland

About Kathy

Forever exuding positivity and light, our beloved Kathy Holland passed away peacefully, surrounded by family and under Hospice care, on December 23, 2021, at the age of 78. Born with only one functioning kidney, her body was no longer able to sustain dialysis treatments, which she had undergone for 3 years, after a recent sepsis infection and fall which required surgery.

Kathy Holland was born on August 7, 1943 in Detroit Lakes, MN. Her parents were Celestine Marvelyn (Mar) Hoffman (Jungers) and Elsworth Norris (Norris) Hoffman. She was the eldest of siblings.

A graduate of the Detroit Lakes High School Class of 1961, Kathy was editor of the Detronian newspaper, participated in band and the debate team, and was a member of the National Honor Society. In 1965 she graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA degree in Cultural Anthropology.

On July 31, 1965, she married her high school sweetheart, John Holland, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Detroit Lakes – a true love story of 56 years together, which, all who knew them, witnessed.

In 1968 Kathy, John, and their infant daughter, Chris, moved back to Detroit Lakes to operate the Holland Motel, built by John’s parents in 1953. This began Kathy’s 32 year career in Hospitality for which she was an owner/operator and CFO of Best Western Plus Holland House and Best Western Superior Inn in Grand. She was active in Best Western from 1972-2000. In 2009, together with her daughter and son-in-law, she shared in the fulfillment of a dream to build The Lodge on Lake Detroit on the site of the former Castaway Inn & Resort.

For 15 years she enjoyed RV-ing with John across the country, attending Nascar Races, relaxing at the beach in Fort Myers Beach, FL, traveling in the Desert Southwest, and maintaining friendships along the way. The past seven years she and John wintered in Green Valley, AZ, south of Tucson. She continued to mentor her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren, in the family business, which is now in the 4th generation.

Kathy will be remembered as a positive person who was interested in and cared for every person she met. She was involved in her community and church. She was a Campfire Girl leader, in Holy Rosary’s Handbell Choir, on the Becker County Planning Commission and was appointed to a MN Governor’s Tourism Advisory Committee.

She was an avid reader until macular degeneration took her sight. She enjoyed traveling, boating, gardening, playing cards, attending her daughter’s Fargo Moorhead Symphony Concerts, and spending time with her family and grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Elizabeth (Lita) Clark, and her brother David (Dave - AKA, Winston Fink) Hoffman.

Her survivors are husband, John Holland; daughter, Christine (Chris) Holland-Mehlhaff and her husband Scott Mehlhaff; granddaughter Katriana Mehlhaff, and grandson, Hans Mehlhaff; sisters Marianne (Anne) Hoffman, Jeanette (Jean) Erickson, and Geraldine (Geri) McConachie; her cat Odin, and many wonderful family members and friends.

memorial service

A Celebration of Life Memorial Mass

January 6, 2021

Holy Rosary Catholic Church 1043 Lake Ave, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501, USA

A Celebration of Life Memorial Mass, presided by Monsignor Tim McGee, will be held at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Detroit Lakes, MN on Thursday, January 6, 2021 at Noon, preceded by visitation at 11:00 a.m. A reception/lunch will follow in the St. Benedict’s room at Holy Rosary. The funeral service for Kathy Holland will live streamed at www.daviddonehower.com