L. Garratt Holland

L. Garratt Holland, 91, Nevada, formerly of Lake Lotawana, Mo., died Wednesday, May 4, 2005, at his home in Nevada following a lengthy illness. He was born March 29, 1914, in Independence, Mo., to Louis Edward Holland, known by some as the "Father of Aviation" in the Kansas City area and Adelia Ward Garratt Holland. He married Evelyn Plunkett in 1940 in Independence, Mo., and she preceded him in death in 1984. He later married Mildred Whitehead Belcher in 1985 at Lake Lotawana, Mo., and she survives of the home in Nevada.

Mr. Holland grew up in Independence and was a graduate of Northeast High School in 1931. He attended Virginia Military Institute and graduated college from Central State Teachers College, Warrensburg, Mo. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II from 1944-1946 as First Lieutenant in the Ordinance Corps. The Holland Engraving Company was begun by his father in 1916 in Kansas City, Mo. Following his service in the U.S. Army, Garratt went to work with his father at the Holland Engraving Company which he operated until his retirement in 1979. He had lived his whole life in the Kansas City area until moving to Nevada in 2000.

Mr. Holland's memberships include the Lake Lotawana Community United Methodist Church; past president of Jackson County Chamber of Commerce; past president of the National Association of Name Plate Manufacturers; past president of Lake Lotawana Association; past president and founding member of the Lake Lotawana Fire Department; served two terms as Alderman for the City of Lake Lotawana; member of the Board of Directors Auto Club of Missouri; member of the Aviation Committee of Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, member of the Aero Club of Kansas City; member of Advertising and Sales Executives Club of Kansas City, Mo.; member of the Missouri Yacht Club; member of the Rotary Club of Kansas City where he was named a Paul Harris Fellow and a Rotary Club 13 Fellow; an Honorary Fellow of the Truman Library Institution; past president of the Lee's Summit School District Advisory Board; and was a regular guest at the Rotary Club in Nevada for the past five years. He has also attended the First Baptist Church of Nevada for the past five years.

Survivors in addition to his wife, Mildred, of the home, include one son, Louis Edward Holland II and wife, Mary Holland, of Glen Ellyn, Ill.; one daughter, Nancy Lou McHugh and husband, Thomas McHugh, of Piedmont, Calif.; one sister, Helen A. Head, Independence, Mo.; seven grandsons; three great-grandsons; two great-granddaughters; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by two sisters, Norma Peterson and Vera Kiekert.

Friends may call from now until 8 p.m. on Tuesday and the family will receive friends from 7-8 p.m., on Tuesday at Ferry Funeral Home in Nevada. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, May 11, at Langsford Funeral Home, Lee's Summit, Mo., with Dr. William Cox officiating. Interment will follow in Mt. Washington Cemetery in Independence, Mo. The family will receive friends Wednesday, May 11, from 12-1 p.m., at the Langsford Funeral Home.

Those who wish may contribute to the Kansas City Rotary Club Youth Camp Foundation, or the Lake Lotawana Community United Methodist Church or the First Baptist Church, Nevada.