Loreta Fae Holliday

Loreta Fae Holliday was born May 29, 1956 in Portageville, Missouri to Lucy Lee Smith and Henry Smith. She was the 17th of twenty-two children. She grew up in Missouri and Arkansas and moved to Lansing, Michigan after graduating high school in the mid-1970s. She met and married Anthony Holliday in 1977 and enjoyed 25 years together until his death in 2002. She worked for the State of Michigan at the State Police Academy for 34 years before retiring in 2010. Family was very important to Loreta – if she saw a need, she was there to assist and provide whatever you needed “just because”. She enjoyed taking care of her family, including preparing delicious meals. She always packed great lunches and you could count on her to have the best food and snacks for everyone during family vacations and road trips. Loreta also loved reading books (favorite author Brenda Jackson) and sharing and exchanging them with her sister. Loreta was raised in church, along with her other siblings and accepted Christ at an early age. She was a longtime member at True Light Missionary Baptist Church where she was an active member in the choir. Some of her favorite songs to lead were “One More Sunny Day” and “I Need You To Hold My Hand”. Later, she joined Mt. Zion All Nations Bible Church and attended regularly until her health declined.

Loreta passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Friday, September 8th at Sparrow Hospital at the age of 67. She was preceded in death by her husband, Anthony (Tony) A. Holliday; parents, Lucy and Henry; sisters, Lorine, Ruby, Lottie, Willie Henry, Lula Mae, and Willie Mae; brothers, John, Robert, and Lonnie. She leaves to cherish her memory: four children, Todd Smith and LaTisha Holliday of Lansing, Anthony Holliday, Jr. of South Bend, Indiana, and Christopher Peoples of Seattle, Washington,; three grandchildren, Amera Holliday of Houston, Texas, Anthony (AJ) Holliday III of Lansing, and Shanora Danielle of Detroit; seven sisters: Teina Christian, Cynthia Evans, Jacqueline Abraham, and Rev. Joanne Moore of Lansing; Bernice Brown-Bell of Benton Harbor, Linda Williams of St. Louis, Missouri and Cora (Oszie) Coleman of Peoria, Illinois; three brothers: Patrick Smith of Lansing, Isaac Smith of Matteson, Illinois and Sayed (Eddie) Syed of Benton Harbor; two godchildren – Lloyd Lartigue and LaKisha Collins; honorary grandchildren – Kyshaun, Alaydriana (Lay), Adriaunna, Aubrielle, and Kyvon; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other beloved relatives and friends.