Kenneth Leon Holland

Kenneth Leon Holland, age 87, of Palestine, Texas passed away peacefully on his own terms, at home with family, on Monday, December 2, 2024.  He was born in Pert, Texas on December 12, 1936, the third of six children born to Loyd Allen Holland and Bonnie Fay Deason Holland. A longtime member of the Crockett Road Church of Christ, Kenneth’s faith was a cornerstone of his life.

Kenneth graduated Palestine High School in 1955 where he was elected Handsomest Boy. It was in High School Shop Class that he first discovered his lifelong love of welding, metal fabrication and figuring out all things mechanical. With only a few bucks in his pocket, he moved to Houston where he started welding and then became a welding inspector at Continental Emsco, later moving on to Production Operators, Inc., where he supervised the building of natural gas compressors. Moving then to Palestine, he joined HB Zachery constructing the Alcoa plant and finished his working career as Head of Maintenance at Alcoa in Palestine.

Kenneth married the love of his life, Annie Wade Butler, on a rainy Saturday morning, June 9, 1956, and by late 1960 their family was complete with three daughters. Working in Houston was his way to be able to afford to move back to Palestine and fulfill their dream of owning a land and cattle operation. It became a reality when he was able to move his family to Palestine in 1974 where he worked tirelessly to build his cattle operation and was still calling the shots until the day he died. Forever the optimist, he refused to give up the ranch dream and bought seven new black angus bulls in April and was anxiously awaiting the arrival of his very first black calf crop in January. He was a longtime member of the Independent Cattlemen’s Association and the Anderson County Youth Livestock Association. The building of the Youth Livestock Arena and the growth of the annual stock show brought him so much joy. He loved seeing kids loving livestock and ranch life as much as he did.

Those who knew Kenneth will remember him for his brutal honesty, his stubbornness, his love of cows and horses, his desire for all hay fields to be mowed perfectly, all hay bales to be properly aligned and calves to be worked only when the signs were perfect.  He loved Fox News, rodeos, the Dallas Cowboys, Dodge 3500 trucks, John Deere tractors, beef cooked well done, dessert, potatoes and he expected salt, pepper and ketchup in front of him at every meal. After regular trips to the pastures became more difficult, he loved, but was confounded by how a cell phone could possibly screen-mirror videos and pictures of his beloved cows and calves to his television.  He longed for the return of a simple flip phone and regularly said that he would never be smart enough to operate a smart phone. Most of all Kenneth Holland loved his family and they loved him.

He is preceded in death by his parents, sister Barbara “Babs” Pike, his brother L.L. Holland and granddaughter-in-love, Emily Davis.

Mr. Holland is survived by his wife of 68 years, Ann Holland; daughters, Dorenda Smith and husband Danny, Sandy Holland and Joe Bruce Smith, and Kathy Davis and husband Danny; sisters, Judy Stephenson, and Jeanne Smyth; brother, Mike Holland and wife Linda; sister-in-law, Sadie Holland; six grandchildren; 12.9 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great granddaughter.

The family is thankful for the loving care and friendship of Kathy Chambless and Elaine Collins who always seemed to know what he needed, and grateful to Dr. Brandy Watson, Nurse Laramie, Miss Kim, Miss Lacie and the countless other staff of Heart to Heart Hospice who helped us navigate the last nineteen months.

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Kenneth Holland will be held on Friday, December 6, 2024, at 11am at Rhone Memorial Chapel with Danny Davis and Dan Manuel officiating. Friends are invited to visit with the family one hour prior to the start of the service at Rhone Funeral Home.

Honorary pallbearers include Adam Davis, Taylor Davis, Adam Hollifield, Owen Smith, Evan Smith, Aaron Smith, Jeff Harris, Jim Ricard, Doug Sumrall, Rick Zambotti, and Chance Wesson.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you honor his lifelong love of agriculture with a memorial scholarship contribution in memory of Kenneth Holland to the Anderson County Youth Livestock Association, P.O. Box 59, Palestine, Texas 75802-0059.  

Memorial and cremation services for Kenneth Leon Holland are in care of Rhone Funeral Home, 3900 S. State Highway 19, Palestine, Texas. Please visit his online memorial tribute at www.rhonefuneralhome.com, where words of comfort and condolence may be shared electronically with his family.

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