Holly Holland

Holly Holland joined her Lord and Savior on September 20, 2026. A Texas girl at heart with a beautiful spirit and a strong will to match, she leaves behind two children she adored and a family who loved her deeply.

Holly grew up in McKinney, Texas. A spirited little spitfire, she was a Daddy's girl who ran everywhere she went — she hated to be left behind. She loved music, sang in church, lifeguarded, taught swimming lessons, and was a cheerleader in her school years, carrying that same energy into everything that came after.

Holly spent most of her adult life in Massachusetts, where she raised Cameron and Jillian and could often be found in a Tantasqua Warriors sweatshirt, cheering for the school her children attended. But Texas never stopped being home. She came back to McKinney to help care for her parents, bringing her life full circle to the place where it began.

Beautiful inside and out, funny and forthright, Holly brought passion and conviction to the people and causes she cared about. Her nieces remember the effortlessly cool “Auntie Holl” they wanted to be like when they grew up — the aunt they could tell anything to, who listened, understood and loved without judgment.

Holly was always looking for a way to help, whether that meant a kind word, a listening ear or simply showing up. “Inhale Grace. Exhale Love.” Those four words captured the way Holly tried to move through the world.

“Freely you have received; freely give.” — Matthew 10:8

She was creative in the way she made a home, decorating, lighting candles, and making things by hand, especially her holiday wreaths. She loved animals, especially her beloved cat, Olive, whom she had raised from a kitten. She nearly always had a soda in her hand: a Dr Pepper, a Sprite or her Texas favorite, Big Red, which she once triumphantly tracked down at a Cracker Barrel in Massachusetts.

Above everything else, Holly was a mother. Cam and Jillian were her whole world, the ones who made her smile most and her greatest source of pride. She loved everything about them. One of her greatest joys was bringing them to Texas and sharing with them the people and places she loved most.

Holly will be remembered for the depth of her love — for her children, her family, her animals and anyone who needed her. She received grace freely and gave love just as freely.

Holly is survived by her children Cameron Arello and his fiancée Alyssa Slade and Jillian Arello; her mother Barbara Holland; her brothers Richie Holland and wife Sonia Holland, and Jeremy Holland; her aunt and uncle Melody and David Eldridge; her cousins Julie Earnest and Jill Sullivan; her nieces Alex Thompson and Madison De Paz; and many dearly loved family members and friends. She also leaves behind her beloved cat, Olive. Holly was preceded in death by her beloved father, Roy Richard “Dickie” Holland.