Jane Elizabeth Holland

We announce with great sorrow that Jane Elizabeth Holland (Roach) passed away on 26 January, 2022 after a year-and-half-long battle with brain cancer. The disease may have steadily eaten away at her physical abilities, but it never diminished the big heart and kind soul that touched so many lives. A mother, grandmother, wife, friend, teacher, and so much more, she will forever be remembered as a kind and caring woman who provided love, direction, and encouragement to anyone who had the good fortune to know and be around her. She was 71.

Jane is now reunited with her parents, Clyde and Vera Roach, and her brother, Dave Roach. She is survived by her spouse, Robert Holland; two sons–Jeremy Holland (Barbie) and Zac Holland; brother, Steve Roach (Pat); four grandkids–Preston, Landon, Blake, and Bryce; four nieces–Sarah (Jordan), Katie (Matt), Andrea, and Erica; and numerous cousins.

Jane prided herself on family. And this trait shone through in the time and devotion she dedicated to ensuring the success and happiness of her’s. When the health of her parents declined, she was there. Everyday. No matter how tired she was, how stressed she became, or how tough the situation grew, she never faltered. She placed their needs above her’s and wished nothing more than for them to be happy and to feel loved, feelings that permeated all of her relationships with friends and family.

She doted on her two boys, often remarking that they “mean more to me than anything else in this world.” She never missed a ball game, school event, or any other activity. And she was always the biggest cheerleader, wanting them to succeed, but also knowing how to turn failures into lessons. Later in life, when the boys moved away and started their own families, Jane would be the first person they called to brag about an accomplishment. And she would also be the first, and sometimes only, person they called when life threw them a curveball. More than she probably knew, she was a rock and source of guidance as they grew into and became men.

She was also a source of guidance for so many other boys and girls, several of whom often referred to her as a second mother. With friends of her boys always at her house, she began to think of them as an extension of her own family. She cared deeply about their well-being and was always more than willing to lend a sympathetic ear or help them navigate some problem they were facing.

This compassion extended beyond her household, to the kids she interacted with as a teacher and school office worker. Some of these kids came from troubled homes that could cast dark shadows over their lives. But in Jane, they found someone who believed in them, who would help them, who—with a smile or encouraging remark—showed them the color in the world.

Jane’s lasting impact lives not only in her family—both immediate and extended—but also in the friendships she formed. She enjoyed many friendships, but it was the few close ones that she truly cherished and that helped sustain her through challenging times. She thought of these women as sisters she never had and, much like her family, would do everything in her power to see them happy.

All of these people—all of the people she touched in big ways and in small—will carry her memory forward. Jane meant so much to so many people, and in that we take comfort. A great women has passed from this earth, but the world is a better place because of the meaningful life she led.

A Celebration of Jane’s life will be held Friday, April 8, 2022, from 4pm-7pm with a service and time for sharing beginning at 7:00pm at Trostel, Chapman, Dunbar & Fraley Funeral Home, 507 W. Jefferson St., New Carlisle, OH 45344. Expressions of sympathy may be made at www.trostelchapman.com .