Chris John Holland

Chris John Holland, age 79, passed away May 13, 2026 in Athens, Georgia.

Born June 7, 1946 in Greeneville, Tennessee to Harry Lee and Irene Rhea Holland, Chris spent his early years in Baileyton, Tennessee before moving to Sarasota, Florida in 1959. It was there that he met the love of his life, Leigh Ann Limmer, in eleventh grade. A 1964 graduate of Riverview High School, Chris was a member of the Sarasota Concert Band, the Sarasota Youth Symphony and was the drum major for the renowned Riverview “Kiltie” Marching Band, a distinction he proudly carried his entire life.

Chris attended the University of Florida for two years, where he played his tuba in the ”Pride of the Sunshine” Marching Band for the Gators. After honorably serving his country in the United States Army, Chris graduated in 1971 from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Industrial Management, where he claimed that he only made it out after the statistics professor in his very last exam offered a retest and gave the exact same test. Chris always delighted in meeting a fellow graduate by asking if they still had nightmares about being on campus, to which they almost always laughed and responded with an emphatic, “Yes!”

In 1968, Chris and Leigh married in the First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota and proceeded to make their house a home for the next fifty-eight years, experiencing life in exotic locales such as Douglasville, Georgia and Starkville, Mississippi before eventually settling down in Athens in the spring of 1975. After retiring from a career in management consulting, Chris became a fixture in the Athens community, both as a small business owner and in real estate property management. He could also be found singing in the Athens First United Methodist Church Sanctuary Choir, the Athens Symphony Chorus and serving as a volunteer with the Interfaith Hospitality Network. Athens is also where Chris and Leigh raised their four children, and as much as Chris delighted in being a role model for his children, he truly cherished being a grandfather to his ten grandchildren. Time stood still and the outside world ceased to exist when it was time to visit “Papa Chris”.

Chris is survived by his wife, Leigh; brother Harry Lee Holland, Jr. of Sarasota, Florida; their children Chip Holland (Wendy) of Watkinsville, Georgia, Jenna Holland (David Duncan), Ashley King (Matt) & Amelia Melendez (Jose), all of Athens, Georgia; grandchildren Madison, Riley and Charlotte Holland, Layne and Juliet Dyer, Ryan and Maren King, Jose, William, and Mateo Melendez and nephews Bryan, Nathan, and Roman Holland.

The family will receive friends at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 7th in the John Wesley Room of the Athens First United Methodist Church, followed by a celebration of Chris’ life at 3 p.m. in the Main Sanctuary. Interment will be at Oconee Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Chris’ memory to the Athens First United Methodist Church Music Ministry or the Athens Symphony.

Lord & Stephens Funeral Home, EAST, Athens, is entrusted with arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com