James (Jim) Edward Holland, Muscle Shoals accountant and city councilman, died Friday, February 19, 2016. Visitation will be Monday, February 22, 2016 from 12-2 p.m. at Highland Park Baptist Church; the funeral service will follow in the church sanctuary at 2:00 p.m. with Brett Pitman, Ted Vafeas and Jim Warren officiating. Burial will be at Colbert Memorial Gardens.
Born in Cherokee, Alabama, on September 11, 1933, Jim Holland was graduated from Belgreen High School in 1951, and at the insistence of his mother, enrolled at Florence State Teachers College in Florence, Alabama, where he received a B.S. degree in Accounting in 1955.
Jim was employed for thirty years at Reynolds Metals, where he retired as the Reduction Plant Accountant. Upon retirement, he opened a public accounting practice where he continued to work full- and part -time. He was a Captain in the Alabama National Guard and a member of Highland Park Baptist Church, where he served as Finance Committee member and deacon.
Jim was a visionary with a passion for service to others. He was elected as councilman of the City of Muscle Shoals for six consecutive four-year terms and served as Mayor pro tempore.
He also served as President of the Institute of Management Accounting, North Alabama Chapter, and Treasurer and Board Member of North Alabama Christian Children’s Home. He served as Treasurer of the Renaissance Faire for more than twenty years and as chairman and member of the Selective Service Board for twenty years.
He served as chair of the Colbert County Chamber of Commerce, chair of the Tourism Bureau, president of the Muscle Shoals Kiwanis Club, and was a member of Muscle Shoals Jaycees. He enjoyed hunting and fishing, especially his annual hunting trips to Colorado with a group of friends who referred to themselves as the Southern Gents.
Jim Holland recognized that change is the key that unlocks the door to growth. He embraced change, risk-taking, and technological innovation. He was passionate about his clients’ welfare, giving people a little more than they expect. In his accounting practice, Jim was dedicated to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, patience, and humility.
He was preceded in death by his wife of more than fifty years, Mary Marie Vandiver Holland; son, Mark Edward Holland; son, James Randal Holland; brother, Sherman Ray Holland; and parents, Sherman Lee Holland and Bessie Eloise Taylor Holland.
He is survived by his adopted daughter, Rhonda Gail Moore of Muscle Shoals, Alabama ; granddaughter, Katlin Marie Hollis, of Bear Creek, Alabama; sister, Eloise Holland James, and husband, Waldon; niece, Debbie Counts, and husband, Tommy; nephew, Steve James, and wife, Sandra, all of Tuscumbia, Alabama; great-nieces; great-nephews; and cousins.
Pallbearers will be members of his Sunday School class, John Anderson, teacher. Honorary pallbearers will be Stan Sockwell, Dr. Patrick Daugherty, Dr. Karl Hagler, Dr. Hermant Patel, Nurse Practioner Kim Canaday, and all the staff at Northwest Alabama Cancer and Southern Care Hospice.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Highland Park Baptist Church Building Fund or to the James Randal Holland Endowed Scholarship Fund, Office of Advancement, UNA Box 5113, University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama 35632.
