Donice Holaway

Donice “Doni” Joyce Holaway, of Grant, Nebraska, passed away September 1, 2026, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Doni was born on February 9, 1939, in Beatrice, Nebraska, to Reynold and Bernadette (Brownawell) Zimmerman. She was the oldest of three siblings and grew up on her parents’ farm near Wymore, NE, and graduated from Barneston High School in 1956. After attending one year of college at Tarkio College in Tarkio, MO, she transferred to the University of Nebraska and graduated in 1960 with a degree in Secondary Business Education and a minor in English. She taught her first year in Ogallala High School, and then for several years in Perkins County High School.

She married Lyle Holaway of Grant, NE on August 12, 1961. Together, they purchased Lyle’s grandfather’s home in Grant, furniture and all for $5,200. The old house, now more than a century old, became the heart of their family and remained their home throughout their 54 years of marriage and up until 2022, when she moved to Colorado to live with her daughter, Calli, and son-in-law, Steve.

Doni and Lyle welcomed their daughter Devon through adoption in 1966, followed by their son Brian in 1968. They added to their family when their daughter, Calli, was born in 1971. Family was of the utmost importance to her, and she was always very grateful that she had the opportunity to be a wife and mother. In later years, she treasured her role as a grandmother and great-grandmother.

Doni became the Perkins County High School’s secretary in 1972. Always a teacher at heart, this was a job she loved, as it kept her around students. After several years at the high school, she resigned from the secretary’s job and became a stay-at-home mom for a few years. In 1983, she took a job at Perkins County Treasurer’s office. She served as Deputy Treasurer for two terms, then was elected as Perkins County Treasurer for three terms. She served as Treasurer from January 1991-December 2002 and retired in early 2003. She felt very privileged and blessed to have been elected to serve in this capacity. Her years in the courthouse reflected the same qualities she brought to so many areas of her life: dedication, dependability, and a genuine commitment to the people of Perkins County.

After her retirement, Doni traveled with her husband Lyle, helping him with his job mowing roadside ditches for the State of Nebraska. She and Lyle worked together in this job until they were in their early 70s. She also served as bookkeeper for Lyle’s various businesses, from a service station in the early days of their marriage, to city waterworks construction, farming, lawn care service, and road ditch mowing. She and Lyle both loved to travel and they had many good times on road trips across the country, visiting children and other relatives.

Doni was a great spur-of-the-moment hostess at “The Cabin” at Lake McConaughy. Everyone was welcome, and everyone came after a hot day of swimming and skiing. Many cheeseburgers, fish, and sweets were served as people pulled in with their boats. There were baptisms and singing around the piano, while kids fished off the rocks. In the wintertime, there were ice-skating parties with hockey and tag. Doni always worked hard to make these golden times for her children.

Always a lover of literature, Doni loved to read and probably read hundreds of books in her lifetime. She also loved music, and after several years of piano lessons as a young girl (which she hated), she began to play for church services at the age of 13. Music was one of Doni’s greatest gifts and she shared it generously for nearly her entire life. She played piano and organ at the Congregational Church, Mennonite Brethren Church, and for 30+ years at the United Methodist Church in Grant. Doni was a familiar and beloved presence at Methodist Church. She never sought attention for herself; instead, she used her talent in quiet service to others. Those who knew Doni will remember her as a steady, gracious presence whose music became woven into the life of her church and community. Over the decades, she accompanied thousands of voices and instrumentalists, playing piano for church and school choirs, high school musicals and competitions, weddings, funerals, and countless special occasions. Being an accompanist for high school musicals and for small groups and choirs at the churches was a highlight of her life.

A great blessing in her later life was when she became a leader of Bible studies. She loved doing the research to get ready for these studies and always said that she was the one who learned the most. She loved the Lord and she loved the Word, and was constantly amazed that she was allowed to lead these studies, to tell people what she had learned and to learn from them. Her commitment to helping others learn God’s Word was unwavering, and many who studied with her spoke of her ability to make Scripture meaningful, understandable, and relevant to their lives.

Through her music, her teaching, her public service, her faith, and the quiet way she cared for those around her, Doni touched generations of people in Grant and beyond. Her life was one of faithful service, and the influence she leaves behind can be heard in the music she shared, seen in the people she taught and served, and felt most deeply by the family she loved.

Doni was preceded in death by her husband, Lyle Douglas Holaway. She is survived by her children, Devon Schnorr of Grant, Nebraska, Brian (Melanie) Holaway of Fort Myers, Florida, and Calli (Steve) Holaway of Monument, Colorado; her grandchildren, Tyson, Skyler, and Sage; her great-granddaughter, Alliyah; her brother, Leon (Carol) Zimmerman of Wymore, Nebraska; and her sister, Sondra Jones of Grant, Nebraska; several nieces, nephews, and cousins, and by many friends.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Grant United Methodist Church, with Pastor Spenser Johnson officiating. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery.

A memorial has been established in Doni’s memory for later designation. Condolences may be shared through Bullock-Long Funeral Home or sent to Calli Holaway, 3640 Range View Rd, Monument, CO 80132. The service will be live-streamed through Bullock-Long Funeral Home https://www.bullocklongfuneralhome.com.

Bullock-Long Funeral Home of Grant is in charge of arrangements.