Christopher Michael Holland, 49 of Forest City died Saturday, February 18, 2023 at MercyOne Medical Center North Iowa in Mason City, Iowa as a result of a basilar arterial stroke. Chris was an organ donor and he will live on with the generous gift of life to recipients in need.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, March 10th from 5:00 – 10:00 P.M. at the Boman Fine Arts Center in Forest City, IA. We will be sharing more embarrassing stories, some enduring stories, and a tear-jerking slide show of Chris. Refreshments and light hors d’oeuvres will be provided. In lieu of flowers, plants, and other objects, please donate the money to Forest City’s Rotary Club or the Iowa Donor Network.
Christopher Michael Holland was born on November 27, 1973 in Mason City, IA, to Ronald and LaRae Holland. From the stories that have been told, Chris was the easiest baby out of the three of us to manage due to his sunny disposition. From the time that Chris was able to toddle around he would follow his father out to the shop and “help” while ending up filthy. When his mom would take him inside for naps he would throw a fit and not want to go. Chris was also a typical ornery brother to his sisters, but eventually that relationship evolved into strong friendships. Chris was a computer nerd and was so excited when the family purchased an Apple computer in the 1980’s (we always thought he would be the next Steve Jobs). He enjoyed playing Pong, Atari, then Nintendo, which gave way to other gaming systems. Anything to do with computers and electronics was his jam.
By the time Chris was in his early teens he was going to job sites and learning the business of moving houses. He earned the respect of the other workers by being in the trenches with them and driving equipment (most likely illegally). Chris loved to ride anything other than horses, especially after one unlucky horseback riding incident where he ate dirt and decided he was done. Chris drove machines that included the 3 wheeler (yes, we had death mobiles as children), mini-bikes, snowmobiles, vehicles, motorcycles, and anything that had a motor and moved. Chris had a beloved 1977 Ford truck called the “Red Rooster” in high school and he also took the 1964 “Red Baron” Corvette to prom. Chris kept his circle of friends small and was loyal to them all. Chris graduated from Forest City CSD in the spring of 1992 (not sure how he kept his straight A’s since it is reported that he skipped a lot of class per his best friend Dustin’s accounts).
Chris was married at a tender age of 20 years old which ended in divorce. Chris went to North Iowa Area Community College for his AA degree and then finished his Electrical Engineering BS degree at Iowa State. Chris met and married his second wife while at ISU. When he lived in Ames, Chris enjoyed Hapkido and taking his younger sister out to experience Veishea (nobody believes that he was a bad influence but some of us know the truth). After completing his degree he moved back to Forest City, IA, and started working with his dad in the house moving business. Chris added his own flare to the business by adding craning services as an offshoot to the existing company. Chris dedicated many hours to the success of the fledgling business, especially since he wanted to prove himself. After moving back to Forest City, Chris’ family grew to include 4 children, Cora, Xavier, Sophia, and Ian. Chris lived for his children and being a dad was the highlight of his accomplishments. Chris’ second marriage ended in divorce.
Chris was an active individual who loved spending time with his children by boating, kayaking, biking on the trails, jumping on the trampoline (which one of his nurse sisters told him not to do due to safety risks), and basically anything that was outdoors. He also loved spending time on his pontoon and he would extend invitations to friends and family. Chris liked to travel to other countries to meet new people and create life experiences. Chris was an amazing dad, brother, friend, and son. If you were in his circle, you had nobody that was more loyal to you. He also had extended relationships who he considered as family. Chris will be missed in this world for his intelligence, dark sense of humor, hard working mentality, and his dedication to his community.
Chris is survived by his parents Ronald & LaRae (Pletcher) Holland; his sister Lisa Holland; his brother by another mother Dustin Huston; his sister Cindy Holland; his daughter Cora Holland; his son Xavier Holland; his daughter Sophia Holland, and his son Ian Holland, plus a haggle of nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by grandparents Standly & Irene Holland and grandparents Robert & Lorraine Pletcher.
Cards can be sent to:
CR Holland Crane Services, Inc.
35545 US-69
Forest City, IA 50436
