Jane Holland

Emily Jane (Cairns) Holland was born October 8, 1943 in Buffalo, New York to Joseph Henry and Evelyn Emily (Causer) Cairns and older sister, Mary "Connie." Being part of a Pennsylvania Railroad family, she grew up in Uniontown and Havertown, Pennsylvania where she sang in the Church choir and played basketball and field hockey. Graduating from Haverford High School, she attended Wesley College in Dover, Delaware where she majored in Home Economics. It is in Dover where she met her future husband, Smith Sr. They were married on January 25, 1964 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania at St. Mary's Episcopal Church and resided in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania where their three children, Mary Beth, Smith Jr and Stephen were born. Once Smith Sr's education at Temple University was complete, they moved to Lansdale, Pennsylvania surrounded by cornfields and creeks. Their home was always full of lost animals that became family pets, sports equipment and loud kids. She would not have wanted it any other way. In July of 1980, the family was transferred to Lenexa, Kansas during one of the hottest summers in Kansas City history. They soon learned what central air conditioning and BBQ were. Soon it too was filled with orphaned bottle baby kittens, lost animals, more sports equipment and even louder kids. In April of 1988, Jane was diagnosed with a brain tumor and was not expected to survive. She spent months hospitalized working in rehabilitation to gain back what she had lost as a result of the surgery. Her faith, strength and resolve were unflappable and she was an example to many, especially her children, to never quit and always remember that others could be going through something even more challenging. Despite the residual challenges of her surgery, Jane enjoyed her family and all of their activities to the fullest. Her grandchildren were the light of her life and she was present in the delivery room when her first grandchild was born in 1990 in San Francisco. She had the ability to make each one feel special because each one was special to her. She leaves each one of them with memories to cherish forever.

She is survived by her husband, Smith Wilson Holland Sr and their children: Mary Elizabeth and her husband Trevor Cape of Overland Park, KS and their children: Tucker Wilson and his fiancée Madeline Keenan of Overland Park, Kansas; Connor Wayne of Highlands Ranch, Colorado and Hayley Elizabeth and her fiancé Eric Glennon of Columbia, Missouri; Smith Wilson Jr and his wife Tina of Leawood, Kansas and their children: Jacob Wilson of Washington D.C.; Audrey Margaret of Bloomington, Indiana and Claire Amanda of the home; Stephen John of Overland Park, Kansas and his children Cooper Joseph and Wilson John of the home as well as her sister Mary "Connie" and her husband Harry Barton of Portland, Oregon; her brother in law and sister in law Jack Holland and Joan Gilsdorf of Salisbury, Maryland and her dear cousin Mary Ellen and her husband Michael Kilanowski of Slidell, Louisiana and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank Villa St Francis Catholic Care Center and Kindred Hospice for their intuitive care and compassion over the past year of Jane's life.

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