H.R. No. 318
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The city of San Angelo lost a renowned business and
civic leader with the passing of Virginia Etta Henkel Holland on
June 3, 2012, at the age of 88; and
WHEREAS, The former Virginia Henkel was born in Orlando,
Florida, on December 22, 1923, to Myrta Duncan and Alphaeus Henkel;
growing up during the Great Depression, she learned the value of
hard work at an early age, and that knowledge served her well
throughout her life; shortly after World War II, she met Captain
I. J. Chase Holland, Jr., and they were joined in matrimony on
February 9, 1946; the couple settled in Mr. Holland's hometown of
San Angelo, which Virginia Holland adopted wholeheartedly as her
own; and
WHEREAS, While taking care of their two sons, Chase and
William, Mrs. Holland worked alongside her husband in his father's
business, Holland Jewelry; she also found time to involve herself
in a variety of church and community projects, among them the
endeavors of the Young Women's Service League, which she helped to
charter as the Junior League of San Angelo; in 1960, her
father-in-law passed away, and she and her husband became the
owners of Holland Jewelry; and
WHEREAS, The Hollands shared a rewarding marriage of more
than two decades before Mr. Holland's untimely death in 1968;
Virginia Holland subsequently took the helm of the family business,
mastering her new responsibilities with the assistance of a loyal
staff, and the company flourished; through the years, she embraced
the store's employees as extended family, and in 1979 she was named
"Boss of the Year" by Credit Women International; and
WHEREAS, This dynamic woman had the distinction of becoming
the first female director of the Texas Jewelers Association; she
was active in the Southwest Jewelers' Group, and she attained
certification as a "registered jeweler" with the American Gem
Society; thanks in part to her 66 years of dedicated service to
Holland Jewelry, the company has been recognized with a Texas
Treasure Business Award by the Texas Historical Commission; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Holland married Lee W. Sanders in 1970, and
during the nearly quarter of a century that followed, they enjoyed
such pastimes as travel and developing a retreat in Irion County; in
her later years, Mrs. Holland continued to take pleasure in
spending time with her family and with her many dear friends; and
WHEREAS, Virginia Holland lived a compassionate and
purposeful life, one in which professional achievement went hand in
hand with an abiding commitment to her loved ones, and her legacy
will continue to resonate for years to come in the community she was
proud to call home; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Virginia Etta
Henkel Holland and extend sincere sympathy to the members of her
family: to her sons and daughters-in-law, Chase Holland III and Kay
Holland and William Stuart and Janet Holland; to her grandchildren,
Chase Holland IV and Traci Holland, Bradlee and Julianna Holland,
Stuart and Holly Holland, David and Jen Holland, Chelsea Holland,
Grant and Missy Huling, and Garrett and Natalie Huling; to her
great-grandchildren, Emily Holland, Chase Holland V, Gardner
Holland, Griggs Holland, Sumner Holland, Duncan Holland, Kate
Virginia Holland, Ava Huling, Grayson Huling, Madelyn Huling, and
Harper Huling; to her cousin, C. E. Bradshaw; to her niece, Shirley
Tindall; to her nephew, Robert Tindall; to her stepchildren, Sandra
and Bobby Carter, Richard and Janell Sanders, and James and Sheila
Sanders; and to her other relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Virginia
Holland.
Darby
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 318 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on February 18, 2013.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House