Carla's obituary
UPDATED FROM CHAD AND KYLE:
Carla Holland exited this earthly life and ran on to her heavenly birth on March 16, 2023 in the midst of doing what she loved---taking care of her country home. As she said, “if I happen to die on one of my adventures, I’d rather have had the adventures than be too afraid and just sit in my chair thinking ‘poor me.’”
It’s pretty easy to send off the unmissed, the bitter, and the grouches in life – we have standard niceties to say to cope. However, Carla’s impact in life was so high, so broad reaching and poignant that you, dear reader, are thinking “God put her here JUST FOR ME,” and you are right. As her sons, we will ramble on a bit about her life but we know you’ve got your own “my Carla” moment where she touched your life – please do share it with us on her website; we would love to hear your stories.
On February 28, 1955, Carla was born to the late Carl P. and Betty Lou (Gordon) Matheny where her father was preaching in Wheeling, West Virginia. She never forgave her parents for having her as the second born and spent her life usurping the role of eldest child – tormenting her siblings, pretending to be the family mediator, and generally trying to organize everyone’s life.
When Carla was 6 years old, the family moved to Beirut, Lebanon, as missionaries and she prided herself as the go-along translator for her parents. The Matheny Clan evacuated after the Six Days War which led to unending victimization of her children with every story beginning, “When I was 13 and we moved from Lebanon..”. This early start in life did instill a love of travel and moss definitely does not grow on a rolling stone! Her score sheet included 46 States, 4 Continents, and 30 countries. She planned trips with detailed note cards, she soaked up the experience, she made friends and with her fiery nature she probably contributed to toppling a few governments along the way.
Back in the U.S., Carla joined the Metropolitan Detroit Youth Choir, spent her summers at Fort Hill Christian Youth Camp and eventually graduated from Fairborn High School. These friends she maintained her whole life – gathering close friends like a Class A hoarder. In every cross-country trip, she preferred to zig-zag the route to visit as many friends as possible.
Carla wanted to be a nurse from young age; she started her nursing career after graduating from Harding University. She loved “helping mamas learn to care for their babies (NICU in Dallas) and teaching people how to be healthier post-surgery (Kentucky).” For years, she led the “Preemie” Reunion where she maintained life-long relationships with her patients. She was incredibly proud of being a Transport Nurse and in true Carla fashion would finagle the ambulance to stop and see her sons at college (while there was no patient of course). Ever the practical joker, she was known to put guacamole on a (clean) diaper and taste it in front of people and she found it hilarious that none of her Kentucky patients had diabetes but, instead, just “a touch of sugar”.
She was a self-described “oddball” which NO ONE contested. She preferred “comfy over fashion” and “sleeping outside over a fancy hotel”. People saw her as spunky, energetic, candid, and Christ-centered.
A dedicated crafter, she made cards, scribbled to-do lists, and always had some needlecraft on hand that made it appear like she was ignoring whatever else was going on around her. Dogs, especially Bernese Mountain Dogs, were part of many of her adventures. We thought the dogs were for companionship but, come to find out, they also served as the scapegoats for her ability to “pass gas” any time, any place.
Carla was in the “people” ministry. Throughout her life, she was surrounded by painful things – premature babies dying, divorce, and walking with others through long diseases. These things did not diminish her joy. She could have a “stiff upper lip” and flourished with a get-what-needs-to-be-done attitude while remaining empathetic. Though, if there was any “foolishness” going on you were due for many “conversations” until she brought you around to the right way (her way) of thinking. She adapted to different communities and adopted many family along the way – gathering Aunts, Uncles, Sons and Daughters from church, work, youth group, or her sons’ random friends who hung around on holidays.
Her creative parenting advice left many folks with jaws dropped to the floor. Her fierce love and belief in preparing for the future led to inventive solutions so “extreme” that others were concerned Child Services might be called in! Her legendary frugality inspired the phrase “put on another layer” which haunts her sons eternally. She’d buy used shoes, cook up expired food items, and under cover of darkness enlist her progeny to help her acquire “discarded” building supplies from construction sites for home and yard projects. She scoured for “deals” but frequently could not measure the cost benefit of quality vs. quantity. So – she bought dozens of the cheapest gifts she could find and gave them away as presents to everyone. We’ve already been contacted by Alibaba (online retailer) and the entire eBay community who mourn the loss of their best customer.
She was immensely proud of her sons, Chad and Kyle. She was even more pleased with her daughters-in-law, Amy and Jenny, who when introduced to Carla were subject to the gauntlet of uncomfortable “conversations” and game-playing aggressiveness tests to ascertain whether they had the requisite back-bone. Noah, Benjamin, Caleb, and Caden are the grandsons she always dreamed of and she could not wait to spend another second with them.
In 1997, she married Mark Holland, who made her a better person and allowed her to be a softer person (hence her sons’ childhood memories of a woman to be feared). After Mark’s death, she spent years in grief processing which drew her to walk alongside others through their grief. However, while in Dallas, despite line dancing, developing a drawl, and making a pretty good Texas sheet cake, she yearned for more country living. The key requirement for her new home was to find a porch with a view and she found it in Carter County, Kentucky, leading the surrounding community to question her judgment and suspect she was actually on the run from the law or in the Witness Protection Program … a suspicion which has never fully been resolved.
Though she missed Mark dearly, she did meet a wonderful friend and her heart opened for Randy Johnson. However, not willing to be a widow again and ever “in control” of the situation, she sat him down to sign a contract that he would live to be 85 after they got engaged.
Her last day here was filled with happiness. She went hiking with a friend, shared joys of life, worked on her property, finished the design on her wedding ring, and had all the lists laid out for announcing her engagement to Randy Johnson. She was overjoyed with her family, her relationships, her friends and all was well and at peace. Her favourite (yes, she was permanently warped by British elementary school spelling) time of day was right before sunup, in order to see the colors and bask in the awe of the waking day. She is now in the land of the eternal sunrise, the land of no tears, reuniting with loved ones, basking in Glory, preparing a way for those who follow, and in charge of the Ice Cream Parlor in Heaven.
PREVIOUS PUBLISHED NOTICE IN THE ASHLAND INDEPENDENT
Carla Diane Holland, 68, of Olive Hill, Kentucky unexpectedly passed away on Thursday, March 16, 2023, from injuries sustained while working on her property. Carla made a significant impact on all the people with whom she lived, worshipped, worked and played. The most important part of that impact was her living witness for Jesus Christ. She is survived by her fiancé, Randy Johnson, and her two sons: Chad Carter with his wife Amy and Kyle Carter with his wife Jenny, as well as four grandchildren: Noah, Benjamin, Caleb, and Caden. She also leaves many other family members and friends who were blessed by her and will mourn her passing.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 1st at 10:30 a.m. at First Church (FCC) Grayson, 287 Pomeroy Street, Grayson, KY 41143. A lunch reception, visitation, and fellowship will follow the service.
If you are unable to attend the service in person then it will be streamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@FCCG…
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made in her memory to support the Celebrate Recovery Ministry at First Church of Christ – Grayson. This can be done through her Memorial Website (see link below) or with a check written directly to “FCC Grayson” with "CARLA HOLLAND" in the memo/note line. Checks can be mailed to: FCC Grayson, 287 Pomeroy Street, Grayson, KY 41143
All future announcements, updates, and information – including further memories - will be published on her Memorial Website. Please subscribe by email on the site to receive additional updates.https://everlov…
