'Holland, Ronald "Ronnie" 78, passed away Saturday, June 3, 2017, after suffering a massive heart attack while attending an All-School Class Reunion in Hamilton, KS. Ron was born on June 14, 1938, in Hamilton, KS, the son of Elwood and Velma Crowell Holland. Ron graduated from Hamilton High School in 1955. After graduation, he worked for several farmers and also on an oil drilling rig in the Hamilton area. He then served in the United States Army at Ft. Carson in Colorado. On June 1, 1958, Ron married Carolyn Birkholz in Eureka, KS. They moved to Topeka, and Ron worked as a plumber for several companies and then at Forbes Field. They became interested in raising Registered Limousin Cattle and in 1974, they moved to a farm just west of Lyndon. They spent the next 20 years building an exceptional Registered Limousin herd and were very active in both the state and national associations. Ron was a member of the Kansas Livestock Association, the North American Limousin Foundation, served as Beef Superintendent at the Kansas State Fair from 1998 to 2012, and he was inducted into the Kansas State Fair Wall of Fame. During these years, Ron and Carolyn were very generous in providing scholarships on both the Kansas and National level for youth interested in the beef industry. Ron was also active in the Pomona Lake Ski Club where he provided most of the ski equipment for the handicapped. He supported PBS and providing service dogs for the handicapped. Ron was preceded in death by his wife, Carolyn, on August 18, 2011; his parents; two brothers-in-law, Larry Birkholz and Gene Kaup; niece, Julie Wilkinson; and two nephews, Rick Wilkinson and Larry Birkholz. Ron is survived by his sister, Beverly Kaup of Wichita; four nieces, Jan (Blaine) Miller, Juli (Brad) Horne, Jeanne (John) Shaft and Jennifer (Aaron) May; two great-nieces, Chandler and Reece Birkholz; other relatives and many dear friends. Memorial services for Ron will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 14, in the Auditorium at Larksfield Place, 7373 E. 29th St., Wichita, KS 67226. Friends will gather for a time of sharing from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13, at the Feltner Funeral Chapel in Lyndon, KS. Inurnment for Ron will be at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, at the Blakely Cemetery at Madison, KS. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Cosmopolitan International (for the Diabetes Foundation) or the Limousin Association Scholarship, sent in care of Feltner Funeral Home, 818 Topeka Avenue, Lyndon, KS 66451.

Feltner Funeral Home - Lyndon
818 Topeka Ave
Lyndon, KS 66451
(785) 828-4433
Published in The Wichita Eagle on June 11, 2017