
Thomas Marshall Holland
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Thomas Marshall Holland, 104, died January 5, 2024, in Charlotte, NC. He was born December 27, 1919, in Mount Holly, NC, to the late Willis F. Holland and Nell Rankin Holland, descendants of pioneer settlers of Gaston County.
He graduated from Mt. Holly High School in 1937. In 1942, he earned a B.S. degree from the University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy and also received his North Carolina pharmacy license. He served in the US Navy in World War II from July 4, 1942, until September, 1945, as a pharmacist first mate. On D-Day, he was the medical officer on a destroyer escort ship in the English Channel.
Mr. Holland grew up in the drug store business working with his grandfather, father, and uncle. He eventually became the owner and proprietor of Holland Drug Company, a three-generation family business in Mount Holly. At one time, it was the oldest pharmacy in North Carolina. He worked as a pharmacist for almost 50 years, enjoying good health and good relationships with the community. He possessed a strong work ethic and never missed a day of work due to illness.
He served as director on the boards of Riverbend Township Merchants Association, the Mount Holly Chamber of Commerce, and Mount Holly Savings and Loan Association, which eventually became Citizens South Bank. He was a member of the Mount Holly Lions Club for thirty-five years, where he served as president.
Mr. Holland was devoted to his church, the First Presbyterian Church in Mount Holly, where he faithfully served as a deacon, elder, and Sunday School superintendent. He was a quiet and unassuming man, ethical in his business. His deep faith in his loving God was central to his life and an anchor to how he lived his life day by day.
On August 27, 1944, he married the love of his life, Frances Kelly Holland, also of Mount Holly. They were married for 69 years until her death in 2014. They enjoyed traveling and attending classical and church music concerts together. They were residents of Mount Holly until 2007, when they moved to Charlotte to live in Sharon Towers retirement home. In Charlotte, they were members of Covenant Presbyterian Church.
In addition to his wife and parents, he was predeceased by his brother, Frank Holland, and three sisters, Betty Holland Smith, Louise Holland Thompson, and Nancy Holland Smith.
He is survived by his daughter, Camille Holland Carruth and her husband, Joseph E. Carruth, M.D. of Dublin, Georgia; his son, Willis Marshall (Bucky) Holland and his wife, Christine Hiestand Holland of Charleston, South Carolina; five grandchildren, Rev. Thomas Carruth, Elizabeth Carruth Barfoot, Carrie Holland, Dr. Lauren Holland Carter, and Craig Bode; nine great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews and other extended family members.
A memorial service was held Saturday, January 13, 2024 in the chapel of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Charlotte.
Memorials may be made to Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1000 E. Morehead Street, Charlotte, NC 28204; or to the Residents Assistance Fund, The Sharon at SouthPark, 5100 Sharon Road, Charlotte, NC 28210.
