Still holding hands
Nancy and Rick Hollis in Uganda telling a grandma that ChristAid, the organization they are involved with, will be building her a house.
High school sweethearts Rick and Nancy Hollis celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on April 19 at Duke’s Steakhouse, where they also celebrated their 50th anniversary. Their first date was on December 19, 1964, when Nancy asked Rick to a Sadie Hawkins dance in Brooklyn, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. “We’ve been holding hands ever since,” Rick shared. They are known in their Canterbury Park neighborhood as the couple who goes for walks holding hands.
Rick nearly joined the Navy out of high school as a way to get an engineering degree when the state of Ohio bought the Finn School of Engineering to start Cleveland State University, making it possible for Rick to get his degree locally. In a series of serendipitous events, or “God things” as Rick calls them, he was chosen for jobs in electrical engineering in construction and kept from being drafted into the Vietnam War.
The couple fell in love with Colorado when visiting good friends, so they jumped at the chance to move here in 1980 when Rick was offered a job, though no one can explain how Rick’s resume ended up in Colorado. Nancy worked as an office manager for the Cherry Creek School District until Rick was sent to Vail to work at the Ritz Carlton, coming home on weekends. The couple did not like being separated so Nancy quit her job and joined Rick, finding a job close by. The next big project for Rick was in Utah, where the couple worked at the same company. “We retired on the same day eleven years ago and walked out the door holding hands,” Rick said.
Rick and Nancy made their way back to Colorado, living all over until settling in Castle Pines. “What is neat about retirement,” Nancy shared, “is that we are able to pick things that we can do together.”
ChristAid is an organization that the couple has been involved with for years. They are both on the board and have traveled to Uganda three times. Nancy said, “It is just the best thing ever that we can go to Uganda together and we get to see our ‘kids and grandmas who we have sponsored. It has been an awesome opportunity for us.”
Rick and Nancy love spending time with their adult kids and grandkids, but Nancy joked that she has more photos of the local wildlife than she does of her grandkids. “We have the best neighbors who we play cards with and celebrate birthdays together,” the couple exclaimed. They also love to travel and are planning another trip to Uganda next year.
For more information on ChristAid International, visit christaidintl.org.
Rick and Nancy Hollis holding a family photo. The couple have two daughters who live in the area and seven grandchildren whom they adore. The couple just celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.
By Lisa Nicklanovich; courtesy photos
