Honoring Lana Carole Hollis

My beautiful Aunt Lana was a woman of modest means and did not have a life insurance policy or resources set aside in the event of her death. The family asks for assistance with honoring her in the same way she honored others throughout her life.

 

Lana Carole Hollis passed peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at her home in the Banning Historic District of Wilmington, California. Over the last decades, Lana found her passion in planning and coordinating memorable occasions and played host to countless events at the Banning Mansion or at her nearby home. She also served as a housekeeper and caretaker for several families throughout the South Bay. She loved the thrill of the hunt, finding unique and elegant antiques and heirlooms from consignment and second-hand shops that then found a new home in her collection. Known at home as the Goddess of the Kitchen, Lana took great care to prepare meals for the family, even those with demanding palates. She had a deep love for her family, especially her siblings and brother-in-law: Simie, Rock, Kerr Lee, and Bob.

 

Lana was born on August 29, 1946 in Pampa, Texas, the first child to Ed and Betty Hollis. She spent her formative years In Pampa before the Hollis family set their sights on Southern California to pursue opportunities in the economic growth of the area. Lana graduated a Tartar from Torrance High School in 1964. She attended El Camino College and found success as an artist, model, and designer. She studied cosmetology and became a beautician. Her passions called her to San Francisco in the 1970s, where she lived near the enlightened area of Haight Ashbury. She loved driving the hilly streets in her hard top Silver Smoke Gray, six-speed Mustang. She shared her small and eclectic apartment with a spirited betta, named Frazier the Fighting Fish. After moving back to the South Bay, she worked as a beautician in Beverly Hills and at the Del Amo Mall. In the 1980s she found beauty in the homes surrounding the Banning Mansion in Wilmington and never left.

 

As the oldest child, she embraced her role as the caregiver and nurturer to everyone in the family. And while she was always careful, there was the occasional mishap such as the time when she dropped gum in Rock’s curly blonde hair and was partially to blame for him losing the tip of his pinky finger in an unfortunate lawnmower encounter.

 

Lana was an animal lover and had feline companions with outsize personalities. Captain could be found curled up in sleep atop her head as a kitten. He lounged in the front yard awaiting belly rubs from passers-by. Her newest cat, Smokey, was spoiled with a special diet Lana would lovingly prepare for him.

 

She was thoughtful of everyone and never complained, even on her worst days, and always found a way to make others smile. A tenacious worker, she never left a job incomplete. She was the family historian and we all turned to her to find out where a particular relative fit in the family tree.

 

Lana was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence “Ed” Hollis and Betty (Bryant) Hollis. She is survived by her sister, Simie (Hollis) Seaman; brother-in-law, Robert “Bob” Seaman; brother, Eddie “Rock” Hollis; sister-in-law, Theresa (Fagan) Hollis; brother, Gregory “Kerr Lee” Hollis; niece, Desiree (Hollis) Dewey; nephew, Rock Hollis; and, her grandnephews and grandnieces: Granger Dewey, Hollis Dewey, Rock Hollis, and Electra Hollis. She is fondly remembered by her aunts, uncles, cousins, and many friends in California and Texas.

There will be a celebration of Lana’s life on Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 1:00 in the afternoon. We hope you will join us at Lighthouse Memorials & Receptions - Rice Center, 5310 Torrance Bl, Torrance, CA 90503.