Winifred Holland

WINIFRED HOLLAND

Iowa City

Winifred Mercedes Holland, longtime Iowa City resident, died Tuesday, April 15, 2014. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. Monday, April 21, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Iowa City, with the Rev. Rudolph Juarez officiating. Burial at St. Joseph Cemetery will follow a reception that will be held at the church. Visitation will be after 9 a.m. Monday at the church until service time.

In lieu of flowers, me-morial donations may be made in her memory to the Food Bank at the Iowa City Crisis Center.

Online condolences may be sent for her family through the Web at www.gayandicha.com.

Winifred Mercedes Spratt was born Sept. 9, 1926, in rural Parnell, Iowa, the daughter of Bernard and Anna Mary (Reading) Spratt. She was the youngest of a family of seven children. Her family moved to rural Oxford in 1936. She attended schools in Oxford, graduated from Oxford High School in 1943 and from the Iowa City Commercial College in 1944. On Feb. 4, 1948, she was united in marriage to Paul James Holland at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Iowa City.

She was employed in Iowa City as a secretary for 35 years, beginning her career at Iowa Land Co., then in the nursing service office at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, retiring as federal services department secretary from NCS (National Computer Systems, formerly Westinghouse Learning Corporation) in 1989.

At her retirement, she was presented with a trip to Washington, D.C., from her co-workers. The highlight of this trip was being seated in the Speaker of the House's chair (Congress was not in session.).

Winifred was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, the National Society Daughters of the Amer-ican Revolution, Nathaniel Fellows Chapter and the Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center.

While her children were growing up she also served as a Girl Scout leader and Cub Scout Den mother.

She enjoyed spending time with family and friends, traveling, theater, reading, sewing, flower gardening and working in the yard at her home in the Lucas Farms neighborhood. The land on which she and her husband, Paul, built their home in 1955 was once part of the farm of Robert Lucas, first governor of the Territory of Iowa.

Winifred's family includes her daughter, Nancy (Randy) Lackender of Iowa City; sons, Patrick Holland (Stephanie) of San Diego, Calif., Stephen Holland of Muscatine; Daniel Holland of Iowa City and Robert Holland (Diane) of Phoenix; grandchildren, Paul Holland, Anna Dizack (Aaron), Jessica Grout (Kyle), Cassie Putney (Maclaine), Robert Holland Jr. (Amber), Ryan Holland and Willis Holland (Amanda); three great-grand-daughters, Madeline Putney, Ava Grout and Hallie Holland; a great-grandson, Jack Putney; a sister-in-law, Doris Spratt; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Paul in 1982; sisters, Mary Genevieve McDaniel, Anna Gorvin and Luella TePoel; brothers, William Spratt, Bernard Spratt and Richard Spratt; sisters-in-law, Gretchen Spratt, Mary Donohue, LaVella Kern and Helen Spratt; and brothers-in-law, Max McDaniel, James Gorvin, William Holland and Francis Holland.

Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for Winifred's family and her services.