Joyce Virginia Holland

Mrs. Joyce Virginia Holland, age 78, died in Dacula, Georgia, October 22, 2018, surrounded by her children and grandchildren after a long battle with illness.  Mrs. Holland was 78 years old.  She was a member of New Life Baptist Church in Metter, Georgia.  Mrs. Holland was born December 14, 1939 in Toombs County, Ga.  She was preceded in death by husband Petty Officer 1st Class Archie Elmer Holland; and her mother, Mary "Grace" Avery, her father John Wesley Huett.  After the death of her husband in 1972, Mrs. Holland raised her four daughters:  Monica Ellis, Tammy Boyd, Patti Yarbrough, and Penny Mantooth in Vidalia.  While her girls were in school, Mrs. Holland held a variety of jobs including pumping gas on a naval base, a telephone operator, and co-owned Jack's Drive Thru in Vidalia with her best friend Jean Williamson.  Mrs. Holland was a breast cancer survivor and spent most summer nights watching her Atlanta Braves play ball.  After raising her children, Mrs. Holland worked as a licensed practical nurse.  In 1989, she earned her registered nurse certification from DeKalb College in Atlanta at age 50.  Mrs. Holland said aside from motherhood, her most rewarding pursuit was caring for newborns in the labor and delivery department.  She was also an instructor to nursing students.

Mrs. Holland's family said her most valuable roles were steadfast matriarch to her children, trusted confidant and advisor to her thirteen grandchildren, and doting protector to her eleven great-grandchildren.  She never forgot a birthday.

Mrs. Holland is also survived by her brother, James Timothy Avery of Cumming; her nephew, Tobey Avery; and four sons-in-law, Robert “Bob” Ellis of Vidalia, James Richard Boyd of Dacula, Michael Joe Mantooth of Dacula, and James Yarbrough of Modoc, South Carolina.

The funeral service will be held Thursday, October 25th at 3:00 p.m. in the chapel of Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home with Pastor Gene Currin officiating.  Burial will follow in Lakeview Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Mrs. Holland's honor to the Georgia chapter of the Alzheimer's Association by visiting their website at alz.org/georgia

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