In memory of Alice Oleda Holyan, 92, who passed away the morning ofMarch 25, 2025, at her long-time Enumclaw home, into the welcoming embrace of all her friends and family that have gone before.
Alice, the youngest child of Charles and Oleda Rogers, was born January 8, 1933, in Enumclaw.
She attended school, graduating in 1951, worked at the telephone office, and became a loving wife and mother as a lifelong resident.
She met her future husband, Albert Holyan (Twerp), at the Newaukum Grange Hall. They were married on November 22, 1952. Their first bundle of joy, Charles Andy (Chuck) arrived in 1956, middle boy James Albert (Jim) in 1961, and Edward Alan (Ed) in 1964.
Alice took great joy watching and feeding her fine-feathered friends in her backyard wildlife sanctuary. She loved wildlife, collecting teddy bears and bear refrigerator magnets. Alice enjoyed picking wild blackberries and huckleberries, taking hikes, and going “elk hunting.”While she would have liked to have done more traveling, Alice did go on several cruises, including Alaska and the Panama Canal, went to Hawaii, saw fall foliage in the northeast, and took many road trips with Ed around the Pacific Northwest. Alice loved people deeply, connecting at dances, card parties, friend/family reunions, lunch bunch get-togethers and other occasions. In her later years she kept in touch via telephone, which became her lifeline to those near and dear to her heart.
Husband Al and brother Merlyn Rogers preceded her in death. Alice is survived by all three of her sons, daughter-in-lawTracy (Chuck), granddaughters Danica Sun and AmandaMorris (Dave), and three great-grandsonsWesley, Bearon, and Maddox.
Since her passing, several people have described her as “cool,” “one of a kind,” and “a very special lady.” We are glad that folks thought of her that way, and agree that she was all of those things, but to us she was just our Mom and Nana. There is no way to express how much we will miss her.
A graveside service was held at the Buckley Cemetery on April 3, 2025, where Alice will rest beside her spouse Al with whom she shared 52 years of marriage. Memorials in her name can be made to Enumclaw Fire Department, Partners in Flight,Washington chapter of the Audubon Society or other wildlife/nature organization. A celebration of Alice’s life was held at The Dusty Shelf bookstore in Enumclaw beginning at 11:00 a.m. following the service.
