JoAnn M. Holden

JoAnn Holden was a woman who never met a moment she didn’t enjoy. She was the kind of woman who loved everything about her life, from her beloved canine companions, to her mountain getaway, to especially, her loving family. More than anything, JoAnn was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and friend, who lived her life to the fullest, and taught us to do the same.

JoAnn’s story began on a warm summer day in 1935, in the beautiful northern California city of Pleasanton. Those were difficult days in this country, which was still struggling to pull itself from the quagmire of the Great Depression. Yet on August 29, 1935, William and Myrtle Garcia found reason to celebrate, with the birth of a beautiful baby girl, a daughter they named JoAnn.

JoAnn joined her brother Donald and sister Dorlene in the family’s Pleasanton home, where she soon attended elementary school. She was a vivacious, engaged young woman, with a passion for sports and music. By the time she reached Amador High School, she joined the school band, playing the trombone, and also served as a band majorette, too. Being an excellent athlete with plenty of energy, JoAnn also played on the school’s field hockey team.

After graduating high school, JoAnn found work at Lawrence Livermore National Lab, in the town of Livermore nearby. She then moved on to Coast Manufacturing in Livermore, and later Hexcel in Dublin, which was even closer. While at Coast, she found so much more than a career.

Being the outgoing, fun-loving young woman she was, JoAnn quickly joined the company's bowling team, where she met a handsome young coworker named Ron Holden. They loved to play together, and soon a relationship grew. The couple dated steady for a few years, before getting married on September 3, 1967, in Dublin, the beginning of a beautiful life together. Their family was complete when Ron accepted JoAnn's son Warren as his own.

JoAnn was a very traditional mother in many ways, and wanted nothing more than for her child to be taken care of and to be happy. She was there to listen, support, and love her family unconditionally, a role she filled to perfection. While she was a hard worker at Hexcel, she worked equally hard to provide a loving, nurturing environment for Warren, and a fun one, too!

She loved to watch Warren play tennis when he was growing up, being the avid tennis fan she was. Her favorite players were her son Warren, Jimmy Connors, and later in life, Roger Federer — in that order. She and Warren loved to follow pro tennis together, and had a friendly rivalry going between their favorite players.

Eventually, Ron and JoAnn transferred with Hexcel to their plant in Casa Grande, Arizona, not far from the Sonoran Desert. They also bought a cabin in the mountains, and loved to spend weekends there to get away from the oppressive heat of the valley. The cabin was nestled in pine tree country, and one stormy day a branch broke from a towering pine and went through the roof of their cabin! The pine tree lost its majestic top, and the cabin had gained the nickname "Broken Pine."

JoAnn and Ron eventually packed up and left Arizona, settling in the sandy shores of Holland, Michigan, where JoAnn would remain the rest of her days. She went to work at the Prince Corporation there, where she retired from in the 1990s. JoAnn and Ron kept their mountain cabin in Arizona, however, and loved making the cross-country car trip to visit Broken Pine and their family.

Broken Pine was a beloved getaway for more than just JoAnn and Ron, though. Warren and family would join them every year for enjoyable vacations. They especially enjoyed going fishing at Hawley Lake. She would also look forward to the time she spent with her daughter-in-law Kathy playing bingo at the American Legion Hall. Later in life they loved spending time with their beloved grandchildren there, Chase and Kayleen.

Family was always most important to JoAnn, from her husband, son, daughter-in-law, and cherished grandkids, to her beloved canine companions. JoAnn loved miniature schnauzers, and started with an especially beloved pooch named Pretzel. Pretzel loved to swim in the family’s pool in Arizona, and JoAnn spent many hours in the pool with him, doing her water exercises while the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack blared in the background. Most recently, JoAnn had a schnauzer named Oscar, a rambunctious puppy who was a wonderful companion to her.

JoAnn had many other loves in her life, and her favorite hobbies were always cooking and gardening (she was always in the kitchen or her garden), or listening to audiobook romance novels.

But most of all, JoAnn loved her family, and all of her greatest moments were spent in their company. She wanted nothing more than to raise her son to be able to take care of himself and his family, and she succeeded so wonderfully.

She and Warren shared a special relationship, and he loved to make his mother laugh. It was easy to do, really, since JoAnn was always laughing about something, always finding the humor and enjoyment in the world and people around her. JoAnn also provided Warren and his wife Kathy with invaluable support and advice over the years, always compassionately, and never intrusively. JoAnn was a wonderful conversationalist, yet an even better listener, and always ready with an encouraging word.

So sadly, JoAnn died on Sunday, September 2, 2007, at Hospice House of Holland, at the age of 72.

JoAnn was a wonderful woman, who lived a wonderful life, a life so full of family, fun times and fond memories. She had so many wonderful moments in her life, from the birth of her son, her marriage to Ron, Warren's wedding, the birth of grandchildren, to the many beautiful days she spent with her husband at their cabin in the mountains. Her memories live on today in the hearts of all who knew her. She will be greatly missed.

Surviving are her husband of 40 years, Ronald, of Holland; a Son, Warren and Kathy Holden, of CA; 2 Grandchildren, Chase and Kayleen Holden; a brother, Donald and Lillian Garcia; a sister, Dorlene and Edmond Alves, both of California; Mother-in-law, Pauline Holden, of Iowa; In-laws, Eldred and Ruby Holden, of Iowa, Gary and Carol Holden, of Colorado, Diane and Bill Garrison, of Colorado, and Sandra and Wayne Schultz, of California. She is also survived by several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Funeral services are scheduled for Wednesday, 2:00 pm, at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, Holland. Officiating will be the Rev. Fred Hoesli. Burial will be in Bode, Iowa.

Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday from 1:00 pm until the time of the service at the church.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Holland.

Arrangements are by the Northwood Chapel, Dykstra Life Story Funeral Homes, 295 Douglas Ave., Holland.

Please visit JoAnn’s Memory Page at www.lifestorynet.com to share a memory or photo of her, or to sign her online guestbook.