Penny Ray Gooch Holloway

Penny Ray Gooch Holloway, 89, formerly of 1404 Norton Street, Durham, died Tuesday, February 24, 2009. Funeral services will be held Friday, February 27, 2009 at 1:00 PM at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 1737 Hillandale Road, Durham. The services will be followed by a reception in Johnson Hall at the church. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 pm Thursday at Hall Wynne Funeral Home, Durham. At other times the family will be at the home of Doug and Camille Marlowe. Penny was born on October 13, 1919 in Wake County, the youngest child of Macon Emmett Gooch and Jessie Caroline Ray Gooch. She graduated from Wake Forest High School in 1938 and from nursing school at Dix Hill in Raleigh and Medical College of Virginia in Richmond in 1942. Penny joined the Army at the Pentagon on July 7, 1944 the day after D-Day. She served as an army nurse in Europe from 1944 through 1945. She returned from the war and attended George Washington Uneersity using her benefits under the GI Bill. She graduated from Catholic Uneersity in 1948 with BS-PHN. She was recalled into the Army in 1949 to support the Korean conflict. She met her husband, William Linwood Holloway Billy ineecember 1950 at a dance at the Oak Grove Ruritan Club and they were married the next December. They settled in Durham and raised four children. Penny taught at Watts Hospital School of Nursing for over 25 years. She delighted ineelping young people learn. She retired in 1984 and started oneer second career in playing bridge, taking classes at Duke Learning ineetirement, being a docent at the Duke Art Museum, painting and being a grandmother , mother, aunt, sister , sister-in-law and frieneextraordinaire. She was a life-long learner and was always focused oneer family immediate aneextended, She especially loved the annual tradition of family vacations at Sunset Beach. She celebrated most birthdays and special occasions by writing and presenting her original, always-rhyming poems. She was a charter member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church. She was preceded ineeath by her parents, her siblings, Anee Corinne Gooch Beall, Mary Lee Gooch Goldston and Macon Emmett Gooch, Jr., her husband, Billy Holloway, and a grandson William James Holloway. She is survived by her children Carson Holloway and wife, Elaine Fields of Durham, Clay Holloway and wife, Laura of Creedmoor, Carolyn Holloway Coggins and husband Monty of Kannapolis, Camille Holloway Marlowe and husband Doug of Durham, grandchildren Caroline, Will and Madison Marlowe, Carson and Caroline Coggins, Alex Holloway, and Lauren aneemily Holloway. She also leaves behind a host of nieces and nephews, extended family and friends and lots of Watts Nurses trained in the Penny Holloway spirit. The family offers special thanks to Penny's loving caregiver, Flora Leak, and to all the staff at Hillcrest. Memorials may be made to the St. Luke's Episcopal Church Renovation Fund, 1737 Hillandale Rd., Durham, NC 27705 or the Alzheimer's Association Eastern NC Chapter, 400 Oberlin Rd., Suite 220, Raleigh, NC 27605. "There is little that is harder in life than watching the slow disappearance of someone you love. Dementia is a contagious disease that spreads its suffering to anyone within the range of love. Millions of families have caught it, Ours is just one." E. Goodman. Please join us to celebrate Penny Holloway. She had a wonderful, long, happy life with love, family, good health and adventure. She leaves a devoted, loving family to carry forward her legacy of enthusiasm, curiosity, compassion, kineess and laughter, On-line memorials: www.hallwynne.com. Select obituaries.