Calvin James Holland Sr

 In loving memory of Calvin “Cal” Holland. It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our wonderful and beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend to many. Calvin “Cal” Holland was born on February 17, 1945, in Lincoln Nebraska to Calvin W. and Evelyn Rose Holland. Cal was a dedicated racing greyhound man having been born into the sport as a third-generation owner and operator of racing greyhounds and greyhound kennels following in his parent’s footsteps. As a child Cal handled and helped race and raise racing greyhounds for his family who raced them at greyhound tracks all over the country. It was natural that when he became an adult, he continued handling racing greyhounds for other kennel owners at racetracks all over the country with his wife Brenda Washburn Holland and his children, Calvin Holland Jr “CJ”; who passed away in 2016, Renee Ann Holland Starling, and Robert James Holland. Cal also had a friend and partner in greyhound racing who raised greyhounds, C. Don and Helen Godby of Greely Colorado. Eventually Cal owned, bred, and raced greyhounds from his own kennel of racing greyhounds, while still racing Don and Helen Godby’s racing greyhounds. Cal loved the sport and his greyhounds; their health and well-being was everything to him! He collaborated closely with all greyhound adoption organizations to find homes for every retired racing greyhound and the public learned that they really make wonderful pets.

With his wife and family’s help operating his racing greyhound kennel, he became renowned in the greyhound racing sport, racing greyhounds at tracks all over the USA. Cal in his lifetime was a director for the National Greyhound Association and President of the Tampa Bay Greyhound Association. Cal raced greyhounds at the Tampa Bay racetrack and Derby Lane racetrack in St Petersburg, Florida through his first racing kennel as the owner of Mulberry Kennel, subsequently changing the name to Cal Holland Kennel. Sadly, for Cal and his family his wife and helpmate Brenda passed away in June 2012 after a lengthy illness. Later that same year Cal met Gladys Moore who lived in Hernando Beach Florida, and he introduced her to his racing greyhound life. Together they continued his love of racing greyhounds. From his Cal Holland Kennel at Derby Lane racetrack in St Petersburg, Cal raced his last, best, and famous national champion greyhounds, Jiminy Reno and RT’s Bo Jangles. Cal and Gladys were married in 2016 and continued to live in Hernando Beach Florida until moving to Brooksville Florida in July 2023.

When the state of Florida banned racing greyhounds in Florida on December 27, 2020, Cal either sent his better racers to tracks in West Virginia to continue racing, or adopted them out as pets, or returned his racing greyhounds to their original owners. He then retired to his home in Hernando Beach, Florida. Cal was a member of Hernando Beach VFW Post 9236, a past president of the Hernando Beach Club, a past president of the Hernando Beach Boatlift Corporation, served as a director of the Hernando Beach Property Owners Association, and a director and past president of the Hernando Beach Crime Watch Organization. He was a Master Mason and a member of the Marion-Dunn Masonic Lodge No. 19 in Ocala Florida for 45 years.

He was heartbroken to not be racing greyhounds any longer but enjoyed life in Hernando Beach. Cal loved boating and fishing, and traveling in their motorhome, he took comfort from his decades of memories of all his great and champion greyhound racers, his trophies, and his memorabilia from his 55-year career in raising and racing his beloved greyhounds. He dearly loved his own retired pet greyhound and champion racer, Kentucky Hotspot, known by her kennel name as Kayla. Kentucky Hotspot was bred and raised by his friend and partner in racing C. Don Godby. When Kayla passed away unexpectedly, November of 2024 he was devastated. She was the last of his personal greyhounds and the last of his kennel. Kayla’s death was a heartbreaking goodbye for Cal and Gladys, the end of an era.

In January of 2025 Cal became very ill from a rare blood infection that damaged his heart. After a lengthy battle Cal quietly passed away at home leaving his wife and family devastated. He was preceded in death by his first wife Brenda Washburn Holland, son Calvin James (CJ) Holland Jr, and sister Cynthia Holland. He is survived by his wife Gladys Moore and step-daughters Cynthia Moore Selby (Rick) and Kristi Moore, his son Robert James Holland (Karen Buckley), his daughter Renee Starling (Daina Coleman Starling) and grandchildren Lindsay Starling Jantscheck (Mathew Guay), Phillip Starling, and Nicholas Desroberts, great grandchildren Michael McAuliff, Danika Janstchek, and Mavrick Janstcheck, CJ’s son, Justin Holland (Jenny Snay), great grandson Beckett Holland, and CJ’s daughter Jenna Lee Holland (Joshua Barsch) and great grandson Bjorn Barsch, his sisters Cherie Logue (Joseph Logue) and Cathy Petrosky (Dale Petrosky).

He is sadly missed by all his family and friends who knew him and loved him, as well as his kitty Louie and his newly adopted retired racing greyhound Chocolat Martini who is descended from one of his and Don Godby’s champion racing greyhounds named Evening Memory.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that you make a donation to Gold Coast Greyhound Adoptions, https://www.goldcoastgreyhounds.org/ 

There will be a Celebration of Life for Calvin Holland at the Hernando Beach Club, 3145 Flamingo Blvd. Hernando Beach, Florida on April 27, 2025, at 1 pm.