DOVER, Del.- Justice Randy J. Holland, the longest-serving justice on the Delaware Supreme Court, was remembered in a Celebration of Life in Dover on Saturday.
The event was full of tributes to the constitutional scholar, including videos from his former law clerks, and from colleagues in Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Holland's illustrious legal career was touched upon--including his 700 published opinions and multiple books--but almost every speaker focused on how much Holland's family meant to him, and how kind he was.
"The important thing he taught me that I will carry with me forever is that we are never too busy, we are never too important, to be kind and to help others," one of his former law clerks said.
Holland's humble demeanor was also highlighted.
"If you didn’t read his obituary, you wouldn’t know anything about the man," Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf told WRDE. "He wouldn’t tell you anything about him. He was a very humble person. He was a gentleman. He was one of the nicest people you ever meet."
Holland's family shared their memories of the man known as "Grandy," to his grandchildren, including singing Taylor Swift's "Welcome to New York" with his granddaughters on the way to the Big Apple. His son, Ethan, told a story about how his father--in the U.K. to be named a Master of the Bench--always kept his Milford roots. The example? Holland said his father went to Bob Evans to eat after being at Queen Elizabeth's Balmoral Castle.
Many people referred to Holland as a mentor. A skeeball lover, devoted husband to his high school sweetheart Ilona, and model of ethics, always remembered for not what he did in his life--but how he lived it.
"Helping is never a burden," said friend William B. Chandler, referring to Holland's generous attitude. "It's an image of our shared humanity."
To read Justice Holland's obituary in its entirety, click here.