Catherine Dickens Holland

Catherine Dickens Holland, 101, of The Cedars Retirement Center, passed away on September 9, 2026. She was born in Fuquay-Varina, NC on January 11, 1925. She attended Fuquay-Varina public schools. Her college experiences included Bob Jones College in Cleveland, TN, and Woman’s College of Greensboro (now known as UNC-Greensboro), graduating in 1947 with a B.S. degree in Secretarial Administration. Catherine married James Herbert (Herb) Holland Sr. in 1947. Herb also grew up in Fuquay-Varina and attended UNC-Chapel Hill after World War II and graduated in 1950. Herb and Catherine decided to remain in Chapel Hill and in 1960 opened the Herb Holland Company, which included insurance, real estate and property management. After Herb’s death in 1980, Catherine continued parts of their business until she retired and moved to The Cedars in 2006. She was a loving wife, business partner, mother, grandmother and great grandmother.

In her earlier years, she was a member and President of the Exchangette Club of Chapel Hill, the sister club to the men’s Exchange Club of Chapel Hill. The Exchange Club was responsible for her late husband, Herb, being the forerunner and founder of the current Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA, which was started in the 1960’s. She was a member of University Baptist Church for many years and served in many capacities, such as deacon, trustee, church clerk and taught primary grades in Sunday School. She is presently a member of the University Presbyterian Church. She regretted that failing health issues kept her from being as active as she would have liked.

Her hobbies included travel, golf, bridge, reading, playing board games and going to the theatre. She enjoyed many travels around the world and the United States. She always said the most meaningful trip she took was to Israel, where she realized she was walking on the actual ground that Jesus walked.

Catherine was predeceased in death by her husband, James Herbert (Herb) Holland Sr.; her son, James Herbert (Jim) Holland Jr.; her parents, Robert Matthew and Pearl Norris Dickens; her sisters, Mabel Dickens Council Johnson and Ethel Dickens Johnson and spouses; and her brothers, Ray, Hubert, Fred, Wallace, Robert and Marvin Dickens and spouses.

Catherine is survived by her daughters, Cathy Sargent (Pete) of Chapel Hill and Sarah McGovern (Tom) of Raleigh, and daughter-in-law Fran Holland (Jim) of Chapel Hill; her grandsons, Chris Sargent (Carmen) of Gold Hill, Robert Sargent (Katrina) of Raleigh, and Jonathan Holland of Chapel Hill; her granddaughters, Michelle McGovern of Livermore, Colorado, Shannon McGovern of Raleigh, Courtney McGovern Bellamy (Dane) of Ft. Collins, Colorado, and Lindsay McGovern (Darren) of Wilmington; and great-grandchildren Hannah and Tucker Sargent of Gold Hill.

A private burial service will be held at the Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to University Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 509, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 or the Chapel Hill YMCA Endowment, c/o YMCA of the Triangle, 801 Corporate Center Drive Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27607 or to a charity of your own choosing.

Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill will be assisting the family.