Nancy Holl-Smith

Nancy Holl-Smith, 81, went home to be with the Lord Jesus on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at her Lodi Home with her family by her side. She was born at 3:25 am on December 11, 1940 in Palo Alto, Ca to Willard and Valerie Brockman. Most of her childhood (9-18 yrs. of age) was spent living in Sanger, CA. There was a peach orchard next door to her home where she enjoyed wandering while picking peaches during summers. She enjoyed her years in school very much, graduating from Sanger High School in 1958. She enjoyed art and language classes, swim team and spent the summer of 1957 as an exchange student in Denmark through the American Field Service (AFS). She had two younger siblings Bob and Susan. Nancy began attending U.C. Santa Barbara in the fall of 1958. As a student there she worked in the cafeteria, the library and as a dorm mother to help pay her tuition. She worked during those summers at Pea Soup Anderson’s in Buellton, Ca. She graduated in 1963 with a B.A. in Speech and Drama then began to work as a speech therapist in Modesto, Ca. Despite the new job, she wanted to be an artist. As anyone who knows her would agree- Nancy’s passion, after her family had always been connected to the arts; especially drawing and painting. About that time she started taking some art correspondence classes and that led to a life long journey of learning to draw and paint. She met her first husband, Bill Holl in late 1964 at a singles group put on by the Modesto YMCA. They were married on July 3, 1965, and were wed for 18 years until 1983. Bill and Nancy had two children Dara and Nathan, whom they loved dearly and cared for very well. They lived in Visalia and then Stockton, Ca. Around the age of 30 years old, through the work of the Holy Spirit and the testimony of some friend’s, she surrendered her life to King Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She began to enjoy peace deep in her soul and to enjoy the relationship with her creator that we are all made for. On July 23, 1988 Mom got remarried to David Smith. They met in the singles group at church and have just celebrated their 34th anniversary. They have enjoyed many adventures together, made many new friends and have lived in Lodi for about 27 years. David truly kept his promise to love and care for his wife in sickness and in health, through many difficult times. His loving faithfulness has been a great example for other husbands to follow. Nancy had a rich life full of blessing. She traveled to four continents and 23 countries. She enjoyed experiencing new food, and places. She attended numerous classes to hone her artistic skills including some during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s in Idaho taught by Sergei R. Bongart. She taught art classes in the Stockton Unified School District, San Joaquin County Delta College, the University of the Pacific and at her church where she has been a member for many years. She enjoyed her book group, dinner club and small groups at church. She was an amazing and very encouraging mother, devoted to her children and grandchildren. She was like a private cheer leader for them- always ready with an uplifting word on her lips. She had the rare ability to make even normal activities fun, memorable and rich. One of her often used phases with her children was: “a penny for your thoughts?” Nancy always wanted to hear what was on the minds of her children- she cared to know and respected their opinions. She did the hard things and made obvious sacrifices for her children. She was known to freely give her time to others and to the Kingdom. Nancy is survived by her Husband Dave Smith, her daughter Dara Holl, her son Nathan Holl, her daughter-in-law Kristine Holl, her Grandchildren: Kainoah Rodrigues, Judah Holl and Josiah Holl. A memorial celebration will be held in her memory at 11:00 am on August 13, 2022 at Quail Lakes Baptist Church in Stockton, Ca. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to Noble Hospice/Home Health 605 Standiford Ave, Ste. K, Modesto, Ca 95350 (209)488-4400

There is a memorial service scheduled to celebrate her life at Quail Lakes Baptist Church in Stockton, CA on Saturday, August 13th at 11:00am 1904 Quail Lakes Drive 95207