Donna Holman, age 86, of Saratoga, California, passed away peacefully at Kindred Hospital in San Leandro, California on Tuesday, August 4th, 2015, after a short illness. Donna was born on January 21, 1929, near Lawrenceville, Illinois to Victor and Alice Crutchfield, and grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She had one older sister, Doris Crutchfield Constantin. Her fondest memories of growing up were attending school, fishing with her father, reading, visiting her grandmother on the farm in Illinois, and attending the local movie theatre each Saturday afternoon.
Donna attended Oklahoma State University, where she met her husband, Glenn Holman. They married on August 7, 1948. They settled in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where Glenn worked for Phillips Petroleum Company, and they raised their two children, Richard and Ann. Donna and Glenn spent many family vacations with their children, where they would fish, camp and hike. Donna joined the League of Women Voters in 1959, and she remained active in politics for the rest of her life, a proud democrat. She graduated with her B.S. from Tulsa University, and later completed her M.S. in education. She taught at Oak Park School for the next 15 years, and always said it was one of the most rewarding times of her life. She was one of thirty teachers in Oklahoma chosen to conduct workshops on creative writing across the state.
Donna and Glenn retired in the 1980's, wintering in Arizona, and summering in Bella Vista, Arkansas. They spent many happy years together traveling all over the world with friends, "from tree-swinging in Costa Rica, to lion watching in Kenya, to camel-riding in Egypt". They were married for 55 years. After Glenn died in 2004, Donna moved to the Saratoga Retirement Community in Saratoga, CA, to be nearer to her son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids. She made many wonderful friends, continued masterful bridge-playing, read insatiably, and spent time with her grandchildren and favorite great-grandchild, Caleb, and traveled. Donna spent her last days traveling on a Mississippi river boat with her daughter, and she died doing what she loved.
Donna is survived by her children, Richard (Jan) Holman, Lost Altos, CA, and Ann (Pete) Prazza, Helper, UT; grandchildren Julia (Jay) Kolvoord, Alta, CA, and Andrea Holman, Carmichael, CA ; and great-grandchild Caleb Holman, Alta, CA. She was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn Holman, and sister, Doris Crutchfield Constantin.
A "Celebration of Life" is planned for Donna on Saturday, August 15th, from 1:30-3:00 p.m., at Saratoga Retirement Center, 14500 Fruitvale Ave, Saratoga, CA, in Friendship Hall for friends and family. In lieu of flowers, please send your favorite memory of Donna for the family's memory book to Richard Holman at [email protected]. .
Published in Examiner-Enterprise from Aug. 12 to Sept. 11, 2015