Ray William Holland
DOVER - Ray William Holland, 76, died peacefully at his home on Holland Road on Wednesday, June 30.
Ray was born May 6, 1945, in Brattleboro. He was the son of William A. Holland and Dorothy Cross Holland. He was educated at Dover School and graduated from Brattleboro High School in 1964. He was a lifelong resident of Holland Road.
He married the love of his life, Linda Mundell, on May 25, 1968. They had recently celebrated 53 years of marriage.
In his younger years, Ray was employed at American Optical, in Brattleboro. He worked for Richard Holland with the Dover road crew; Ralph Ruprecht and RL Ruprecht Associates; Bob Grinold at the White House of Wilmington; and Haystack Mountain. In his later years he worked at Mount Snow in the maintenance department and then at the Grand Summit Hotel.
Ray was a member of the East Dover Fire Department, the North Atlantic Buckskin Horse Association, and the American Quarter Horse Association.
Ray had a lifelong love of animals, farming, and working on the family farm. He loved spending time with family working in the horse barn and the hay fields. He especially loved driving his Ford tractor while towing the hay baler.
Ray loved to go camping, boating, fishing, and vacationing in Maine. For many summers Ray and Linda camped seasonally at Kenolie Village Campground in Newfane. While there he often won at bingo and enjoyed casino night fundraisers for Make-A-Wish, especially after his wife taught him how to win at 21. He was a big NASCAR fan and liked Joey Logano and most other drivers, but not Kyle Busch.
Ray was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Heidi Leigh, in 1969; his father in 1980; his mother in 2001; brother-in-law Phil Bartlett in 2019; and brother-in-law Jim Raymo in January.
He is survived by his wife Linda; daughter Kelly; son-in-law Tracy Fowler; son Rodney Holland; daughter-in-law Carole; grandchildren Sera Holland and Evan Haggerty; sister Mary Lou Raymo; sister-in-law Sandy Bartlett; and many nieces, nephews, family, friends, and neighbors.
There will be a celebration of life on Saturday, August 7, at Dover Town Hall between 1 and 4 pm. Gifts in Ray’s memory should be sent to the East Dover Volunteer Fire Department, 22 Dover Hill Road, East Dover, VT 05341.
