Almira Holland

Boots was born on February 5, 1926, in South Hampton, NY and was the daughter of the late Olin Miller Edwards and Elizabeth Sands Edwards of Sag Harbor, NY.

Boots received her RN at Russell Sage Nursing School and continued her training at Duke Hospital where she met the love of her life, Tom Holland. In 1947 they were married at Duke Chapel and Tom embarked on a career in the textile industry. After multiple moves along the East Coast, in 1961 they returned to Chapel Hill where they raised their six daughters. In Chapel Hill, Boots continued her nursing career as a private duty nurse and made many wonderful friendships with her patients and their families. In 1987 Boots and Tom retired to Edenton, NC where they were members of Edenton Baptist Church where Boots sang alto in the choir and participated in many church related activities.

Boots was an avid Carolina fan who loved sewing, reading, and crafts. Her smile, laughter, love of life and her positive attitude were guideposts for all who knew her. She always found something good to say about those she interacted with, often complementing them and making sure to say “thank you” when others assisted her especially later in her life.

She was preceded in death by husband Tom who passed away in 2010, her siblings, Olin Edwards, Courtland Edwards and her daughter, Ann Holland Hobbs.

Many cherish their memories of Boots including her surviving daughters, Gill Holland (Elaine),

Sande Novick (Chip), Nancy Holland (Paul), Jennell Randall (Mike) and Ginny Roll (Leif). Family was a blessing to Boots, she adored her 12 grandchildren and their spouses Andrew (Val), Alex (Phil), Peter (Susannah), Carl (Juli), Cassie, Thomas (Kim), Giles, Jessie, David (Amanda), Jensen (Mtende), Giles and Georgi, and her 6 great-grandchildren, Max, Martha, William, Gabriel, James and Charlie Sands. Boots also is survived by her brother Dale Edwards of Sag Harbor, NY, her nieces, nephews, extended family members and friends.

A celebration of her life will be held at The Fourth Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC on April 27 at 2:00, followed by a reception. Always a nurse, in her final year Boots became quite close to one of her care givers whom she encouraged to return to school to complete her nursing degree and enter the profession Boots so loved. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions in Boots’ honor be made to The Boots Holland Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund (c/o Gill Holland ,80 Hungate Rd. Travelers Rest, SC 29690.)