Joan Clements Holland

Spartanburg, SC- Joan Clements Holland, 84, passed away peacefully at the home of her daughter on March 26, 2018, after a long and courageous battle with pulmonary fibrosis. She was surrounded by her loving family. Joan (pronounced JoAnn) was born in Forsyth, Georgia on August 2, 1933 to the late Billie Cowan Clements and Edwin Cecil Clements, Sr. She is proceeded in death by her by her loving husband of 59 years, Bill Holland, by beloved sisters, Joyce and Marjorie, and by her treasured grandson, Alex Holbein. Joan attended grammar and high school in Buford, Georgia where she graduated, valedictorian, two years early. She earned a degree in psychology at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia in 1954. She then moved to Richmond, Virginia where after a year of graduate school at the School of Social Work at the College of William & Mary, she left the program to marry Bill Holland, whom she met on a blind date; they married in 1956. Three daughters followed in quick succession: Beth in 1957, Lynn in 1958, and Amy in 1959. Bill and Joan moved to Raleigh in 1957 and Joan returned to complete her graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a Masters of Social Work in 1963. Joan moved quickly through the ranks of the North Carolina social services system starting in 1964 as a child welfare worker with the Wake County Department of Social Services to psychiatric social worker at Dorothea Dix Hospital, child welfare consultant, statewide supervisor of adoptions, chief of the Family Services Section and assistant director of Program Administration for the state. Then she moved to Director of the Office of Family Centered Services. When she retired in 1993, she was the Director of the Office of the Family Preservation Services Program in the  N.C. Department of Human Services. At her retirement ceremony, she received the N.C. Order of the Long Leaf Pine from Gov. Jim Hunt who cited her tenure as an outstanding example of dedication to public service. Joan is survived by her three daughters, Beth Ewing, Lynn Loveland, and Amy Holbein, two sons-in law: Robert Ewing and Erwin Holbein, four precious granddaughters: Elizabeth and Caroline Loveland, Olivia and Charlotte Holbein, two siblings, Frances and Eddie, and two nieces, Caroline and Susan, and their families. Joan was a brilliant hostess and fun guest, never missing an opportunity to gather with family or friends to celebrate or just to have a good time. She was the first one on the dance floor (and the last) and loved games, sports, politics, and funny stories. She was a deadly card player, a champion golfer, and a life long Tarheel fan. She and her husband traveled the world together, often with friends along for the adventure. She and Bill were founding members of McGregor Downs Country Club where she spent many happy years with a wide circle of friends to whom she remained devoted until the end of her life. Joan fought the ravages of her disease until she could not. She never complained, never made excuses, and was grateful for every day. Funeral services will be held at St. Matthews Episcopal Church, 101 St. Matthews Lane, Spartanbug, S.C. on Saturday, March 31st at 3:00PM. The family will receive friends at the home of her daughter, Amy Holbein, after the service. Another memorial service is being planned to take place in Cary, N.C. at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Alexander Holland Holbein to the Alex Holbein Memorial Scholarship Fund and sent to The Spartanburg County Foundation, 424 E. Kennedy Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302, or to a charity of your choice.