Richard Marlin Holland, 85 of Bellefontaine, peacefully passed away in Belle Springs surrounded by his daughter and the loving staff of Belle Springs.
He was born Sept. 26, 1934, in Kossuth County, Iowa, on a farm to Archie G. and Marian (Eckhardt) Holland.
Richard proudly served his country in the United States Air Force. He served as County Commander and the Commander in Chief for the American Legion Post 238, Mechanicsburg. Richard retired from Chet’s IGA after many years.
He was a man with a loving heart and loved being married to his late wife of 42 years, Julia (Jones) Holland, as well as spending time with family. Richard lived at Belle Springs in Bellefontaine for the past few years; he was known for his beautiful blue, sparkly eyes and was very beloved by the staff. They became his adopted family; he affectionately would refer to the staff as “Honey” and “My little girl” quite often. He will be sadly missed.
Richard is survived by his daughter, Sheila (Lee) Ballinger, son, Richard Knief; sisters, Lucille (Don) Walters, Nancy Hugo, and Debbie (Tim) Richardson; sisters-in-law, Roberta Carmean, and Bea (Carl) Newman; brother, Michael (Suzi) Holland; sister-in-law, Ginger Jones; his grandchildren, Doug Murphy II, Cindy (J.P) Culp, Brandis Pack, Scott (Cheri) Ballinger, Michele (Charlie) Parker, Kristin (Jason) Peterson, Becky and Kenneth Knief; his great-grandchildren Julian, Abby, Vendalyn, Cassie, James, Ceiyra, Kolston, Caleb, Caitlin, Airman Kaden, Devon, Matthew, Aubri, J.R., Kensi and Liam; his great-great-grandson, Jaxon Lee and Leonidas as well as several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Julia Knief Holland; parents; his brother, Robert Holland; his sister, Elizabeth Larson; his brothers-in-law, Donald Carmean, Herb Larson and Pete Hugo; and his sister-in-law, Ruth (Richard) Evilsizor and great-granddaughter, Paisley Murphy.
Due to the restrictions of the Covid-19, we will be following the guidelines set by Governor DeWine’s office. Private funeral services will be held on Monday, May 4, 2020 in the Freshwater, McDonald & Vernon Funeral Home, North Lewisburg. Burial will follow in Maple Grove Cemetery, North Lewisburg.
In addition, Live Stream will be available on the Vernon Funeral Home Facebook page starting at 2 p.m. with the service beginning at 2:30 p.m. Condolences may be made to the family at www.vernonfh.com.