Anna Mae Holder
Anna Mae Childress Holder, 96, died Sunday, February 5, 2012.at the Evergreen Hospice Care Center in Seattle, Washington. She was born May 25, 1915 in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of William Franklin and Dolly Ester Downer Childress. She had a sister Evelyn Liberty who has preceded her in death.
Anna Mae grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a child she had a banty rooster as her special pet. She spent summers with her grandmother who was half Navajo Indian. Anna Mae helped her mother run a boarding house where Charles Lindberg often stayed. She learned to play the violin while in her teens and returned to the violin while in her 80s. She enjoyed music all her life.
At the age of 20 she moved to California seeking a better job. She found employment with General Petroleum as a secretary. Through mutual friends she met her future husband Lyle Joseph Holder. They were married November 26, 1942 and lived in Los Angeles where he died after 61 years of marriage.
Through the years she worked for various companies and was one of the first to become a keypunch operator for Hughes Aircraft where she met Howard Hughes. She retired from Western Airlines, which was later bought out by Delta Airlines. That provided her an opportunity to travel often.
She enjoyed helping others, needlework, cooking, canning, baking, gardening and tending her prized cymbidium orchids. She was a strong supporter of 3 of her grandsons as they participated in roller-skating on the local, regional, national and world levels. She enjoyed boating and other activities at Lake Gaston, North Carolina. She went jet skiing at the age of 92. She had a special love of butterflies.
Anna Mae is survived by a son Gary Holder and his wife, Georgia, of Henrico, North Carolina and a daughter Michele Rhoads of Seattle, Washington. She is also survived by 5 grandchildren: Chad Holder of Richmond, Virginia; Wendy Cochrane and her husband Brian of Richmond, Virginia; Joshua Rhoads and his wife Erin of Seattle, Washington; Tyler Rhoads of Springfield, Missouri; and Clayton Rhoads of Seattle, Washington. She also has one great-granddaughter Madison Ann Cochrane of Richmond, Virginia. She is also survived by her faithful dog “Taco”.
The funeral will be held at Holy Cross Chapel with interment to follow at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Memorial donations may be made to Evergreen Hospice Care Center, 12822 124th Lane NE, Kirkland, Washington 98034.
12 Responses to “Anna Mae Holder”
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Dear Anna Mae’s family,
I feel grateful to have had the pleasure of meeting anna Mae. What a wonderful person she was and she will always be in our hearts and prayers.
She will be missed.
Love,
DeMello Family
I am so thankful to have met Anna Mae while skating with her grandsons. She was one of the sweetest women I have ever met in my lifetime, always having a kind word. She will be missed.. My prayers and sympathy goes out to the family.. She was a wonderfully beautiful woman, in every way…
Anna Mae was welcomed as a wonderful part of our family from the first day she arrived in Seattle. She was a wonderful soul who touched every life young and old! She will never be forgotten. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to have shared in her life. I keep a part of her near my heart always.
Love forever,
Keri (Josh’s Mother-in-law)
Anna Mae was my mother’s sister…definitely my favorite aunt! She was always full of life, had such a generous loving heart, always non-judgmental, and so much fun to be with. I loved her dearly, as did my three sons, Doug, Tom and Joe, their father, Doug, Sr. and my present husband Rod. I have hundreds of happy memories of Anna Mae…as a child, as a young mother and most recently as a grandmother. I will miss my aunt Anna Mae very much.
Though I did not have a pleasure to know Anna Mae for a long time, whenever I saw her on the rink, she was very kind and an active person. Our prayers are with the family
Harwalkars
Anna Mae was a special Rose in the garden of life. Now she is an part of the Heavenly Bouquet. We’ll miss her but I know she is at peace now. We’re so glad to had the pleasure to have know her. Love,
Jackie and Shanel
Anna Mae was a wonderful lady and a beautiful person. She saw good in everything and everyone. She was so loving, always had a smile on her face. She loved talking and sharing stores with my husband Kelly. The knitted pillow cases will always be cherished in our family, they will be passed on to my granddaughter, Sofia. Kelly and I fill honored to have know Anna Mae. Thoughts and prayers are with her family.
Love,
Kelly and Anna Barnett
Anna Mae was a wonderful and beautiful person. She always saw the good in everyone and everything. She always had a smile for everyone and kind words. My husband, Kelly, loved her story telling. The pillow cases she knitted will always be cherished in our family. They will be passed onto our Granddaughter Sofia. Thoughts of Anna Mae will always live forever within our hearts and minds.
Prayers to her family,
Love Kelly and Anna
We appreciate all your thoughts and prayers. There will be a Mass on Friday Feb 10 at 9am at Holy Cross Mortuary Chapel followed by the gravesite service at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Anna Mae was a dear friend to me since before !949. My tears get in the way of my words, but I’d like to say, anyway, how much I have missed her
since she moved away. We enjoyed our many coffee klatches and excursions over the years, and they leave me with many pleasant memories. Condolences to your loving family and God Speed, Anna Mae.
Our loss is Heaven’s gain. The physical world is less an Angel but her spirit will live in me forever, as I believe it will with anyone who has had the joy and honor of seeing her smile.
Our bond remains, I’ll miss you Grandma.
Aunt Anna Mae was a wonderful person! She truly had such a sweet soul, a gentle – kind way about her and she was always a perfect lady! A true blessing on earth. She will be missed! From my Father (Robert W. Holder) to my sibling may I send our deepest sympathy to the family. She will be missed!