Sherrill R. Holland III's Obituary
Sherrill Reid Holland III, 79, of Davidson, died on July 28, 2025. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jane Withers Holland; his son, Silas Rutledge Holland (Gerhard) of Washington, DC; his daughter, Elizabeth Jennings Holland (Philip) of Arlington, VA; his four grandchildren, Langston James Holland and Zora Yvonne Holland of Washington, DC, and Arlo Reid Rosenman and Quinn Davis Rosenman of Arlington, VA; and many beloved cousins. Sherrill was a pet lover, having raised dogs (Braxton, Oliver, Tucker, and Zebby) and a cat (Billie Kiki). His final dog, Zacky, grieves.
Sherrill was the son of Sherrill Reid Holland Jr. and Winifred Long Holland of Statesville. He was a graduate of Statesville Senior High (1963) and UNC-Chapel Hill(1967), where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. After a year at UNC-CH Law School, Sherrill served as a Lieutenant in the US Army during the Vietnam War. He earned a M. Div. from Duke Divinity School and M. Phil. and Ph.D. degrees from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He served as a tutor in Systematic Theology and in Reformation Church History. He taught systematic theology for 25 years at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, the oldest seminary in North America; he retired there as Dean of the Seminary. A Presbyterian, Sherrill was the first Dean who was not a member of the Reformed Church in America.
Sherrill and Jane retired to North Carolina after 36 years in the New York metropolitan area. He was a member of the Davidson College Presbyterian Church (DCPC), leading the Jubilee Class and the Retired Ministers and Church Professionals Group. He also was a member of the Beloved Community Book Club of DCPC and Davidson Presbyterian Church. Sherrill was part of the establishing committee of both Davidson Learns and the Davidson Lions Club.
In celebration of Sherrill’s life and in gratitude for what the triune God, revealed in Christ Jesus, has done for us all, a memorial service will be held at DCPC (100 N Main Street, Davidson, NC, 28036) at 10:30 a.m. on August 23, 2025. A reception will follow in the DCPC Congregation House.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to DCPC Camp Grier Scholarship Fund or Davidson Presbyterian Church.
James Funeral Home is serving the family.
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