Albany – Marilyn Holland, 95, passed away peacefully on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, with her loving family by her side. She was the wife of the late Herbert Holland, who passed away in 2017.

Born in Albany in 1930, Marilyn was a devoted daughter to her mother, Minnie Rapp, and her brother, Eugene. Marilyn and Herb started dating while both were students at Philip Schuyler High School, in Albany’s South End, where they both grew up. After their first date, Marilyn announced to her family that Herb was the man she was going to marry. Throughout his life, Herb never stopped thanking his luck that a woman, so beautiful and intelligent as Marilyn, chose him.

Still students at Albany State Teachers College, Marilyn and Herb married in 1950, at the tender age of 20. Mom was an English major, but also a whiz at math, and would have been successful at whatever profession she chose. But, in the early 1950s, her only aspiration was to be a mother and manage a household. In 1954 Marilyn quit her job as an office manager of an auto parts store to give birth to their first-born daughter, Sheryl. It wasn’t long before her former boss showed up at the door, desperately seeking her guidance, totally lost without her.

Raising five children, Marilyn used to say that the kitchen was her office. And, from mid-morning onward, a wide-open newspaper was likely to be found atop her desk — the kitchen table. Marilyn followed the news religiously, and debates about current events were common. Marilyn would not insulate herself, or her children, from the events of the day, and could be found sobbing at the table after reading about yet another unspeakably violent incident. Though Marilyn never dictated her values to her children, no subject was off the table when you were in her “office.”

Family was everything to both Marilyn and Herb, and they cherished all of their grandchildren. Every Friday night, they hosted Shabbat dinner for all members of the family living close enough to join in. Marilyn’s chicken soup, roasted turkey, baked chicken, and coleslaw were legendary. Yet Marilyn’s gifts to her children extended well beyond her cooking. She left a legacy of love for the arts, especially classical music and ballet. But she was most famously known for her love of chocolate.

Marilyn and Herb were proud of their Jewish heritage and were active members of the Temple Israel community. Marilyn served as president of both the Sisterhood and the Hebrew school PTA. Marilyn also applied her managerial skills in helping to run the Temple’s bingo operation, knowing how to muster just the right combination of persuasion and guilt for the volunteers on her phone list. In 2011 Marilyn and Herb were recipients of the Temple Israel Men’s Club Yasher Koach Humanitarian award in honor of their service to the Albany Jewish community.

Marilyn first started to show signs of Alzheimer’s disease around 2009 and, though her memory was gradually stolen from her, many elements of her essential self were never lost: her empathy, her sweetness, her sense of humor, and her love of music. She greeted everyone with, “Hi, honey,” and ended her good-byes with, “Please be careful.” Until the end, Marilyn loved life, and held out for every moment she could get. Miraculously, Alzheimer’s seems to have made the light that had always shone inside

Marilyn burn even brighter. And, with that bright light, she managed to touch virtually everyone who encountered her.

Marilyn is survived by her children, Sheryl Holland, Lynn Holland, David Holland, and Debra Holland; her grandchildren, Rebecca Toseland (Kyle Buyers), Stacey Toseland (Andy Rasure), Zach Simeone (McKenna Simeone), Aimee Sanders, Chelsea Holland, Nick Holland, and Jonah Holland (Elizabeth Jorgensen); and her great-grandchildren, August and Valentin Rasure, and Aria and Jameson Holland. In addition to her late husband, Herbert, she was predeceased by her son, Stephen Holland, and her brother, Eugene Rapp.

Marilyn’s family would like to thank the staff of the Loudonville Assisted Living Residence for the loving care they gave her during the final eight years of her life, as well as the staff of the Community Hospice for their care, knowledge, and guidance, which helped to ensure that Marilyn’s final days were as comfortable as possible. Memorial contributions can be made in Marilyn’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association and the Community Hospice 

A private funeral service for Marilyn was held on Dec. 11, 2025. Burial was beside her husband, Herbert, at Temple Israel Cemetery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.