Frances L. Holloman

Frances Lee Holloman-Gaither, daughter of the late Ruben and Maggie Lee Goodrich, was born on January 19, 1937, in Baltimore City, Maryland, at the Old Provident Hospital.  She departed this life on July 11, 2025, at Morningside House of Friendship Senior Living Community in Hanover, Maryland.

Frances’ love of learning began early.  As a preschooler, her mother taught her to write her name so she could receive her own Pratt Library card.  She excelled in Baltimore City Public Schools, graduating first in her elementary class before attending Douglass High School, Class of 1953.  In 1957, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Coppin State College—again as valedictorian.

On December 15, 1956, Frances married her high school sweetheart, Roland Holloman. Together they had two children: Donna Frances and Roland Holloman Jr.  Their marriage ended with Roland’s illness and passing in June 1972.  Throughout her life, Frances leaned on her unwavering faith in God.  She believed deeply that “God always sends somebody.”  That belief carried her through every trial, including a battle with breast cancer in 1997, from which she was mercifully restored to health.

As her children began building lives of their own, Frances met the love of her life, Alfred J. Gaither.  After many years of caring and companionship, they married in June 1998, in a joyful outdoor ceremony at her daughter’s home.

Frances spent her career with the Baltimore City Department of Public Welfare.  She began as a caseworker and retired as a Public Welfare Supervisor in 1988.  She embraced retirement fully, devoting time to the many things she loved: reading, needlework, Southern cooking, music, boat rides, travel, gardening, photography, live theatre, and entertaining.  Frances was a founding member and secretary of the Twilites Social Club, formed in 1960, which remains active to this day.

A devoted woman of faith, Frances was baptized at Union Temple Baptist Church at age 12, joining her parents there.  In 1989, she became a member of Northwood-Appold United Methodist Church under Pastor Mary Brown Oliver, serving on the daycare board, as a communion steward, and earning a certificate in discipleship training.  She also attended the Baltimore Bible Institute.

Frances had a lifelong passion for learning.  She took a computer class at Johns Hopkins, participated in the Renaissance Institute for seniors at Notre Dame, and explored ballet, comparative religion, opera, and classical music.  She was a founding member and two-term treasurer of the Morgan State University Chapter of the National Association of Parliamentarians.  She also attended hospice and grief workshops in her ongoing desire to support others.

After relocating to Anne Arundel County, Frances joined Macedonia United Methodist Church, where she found a spiritual home among those of “like precious faith.”  She loved reading scripture aloud and did so whenever asked.  Frances was also active at the O’Malley Senior Center, where she served two terms on the Advisory Board, volunteered for events, and studied Tai Chi—finding both joy and wellness in the practice.  It was also in Anne Arundel County that she began working at the polls on election days as a book judge, a role she valued deeply.

She is survived by her devoted husband of 27 years, Alfred J. Gaither, with whom she shared a late-in-life love story rooted in the sentiment: “Come grow old with me; the best is yet to be”—and indeed, it was.

She also leaves behind her loving and supportive family: daughter Donna Thompson (Thomas) of Glen Burnie, MD; son Roland Holloman Jr. (Stacy) of Southfield, MI; grandchildren Kristin M. Betz (Shea), Stephanie M. Holloman, Roland Holloman III; and great-grandson Declan Thomas Betz.

She is also mourned by her loving sisters and brothers-in-law, members of the Twilites Social Club and lifelong friends Marion Coe, Vonita Jones, Marie Miller, dear friend Reva Kirk, many cousins, extended family, and friends.