Sheriff's Deputy David John Holland (retired) passed peacefully at home with his wife by his side on Friday, May 5, 2017 at the age of 56. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, May 26, 2017, in Biggers Funeral Chapel with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer donations to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA at aspca.org) or The Humane Society of the United States (humanesociety.org). Dave was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 16, 1960 to the late, Robert and Marie (Scarborough) Holland. He grew up in Tonawanda, New York, just north of Buffalo and often described his childhood as something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Dave was blessed with a loving family and great friends all through life. Fond memories from his early years include time spent with family and friends at the cabin his father built in Olean, New York in the Allegheny Mountains and with the "neighborhood gang" on Coshway. Dave graduated from Tonawanda High School with the class of '78 and moved with his immediate family to the Fort Worth area a few years later. He joined the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) in 1989 and served twenty-seven years before retiring in April 2017. Dave was devoted to his work and awoke every morning (or evening depending on the shift) with a positive attitude and ready to go. He took great pride in his job and his professionalism was second to none, which earned him the Tarrant County Sheriff's Officer of the Year award in 1998. Dave developed close relationships over his nearly 30 years at the department and considered his TCSO friends a second family. Like his father, Dave was an outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing whenever he could, even though his XBOX-One kept him indoors quite a bit. He had a wickedly dry sense of humor and a luxuriously deep voice that could melt butter, and while he could be serious when need be, he was naturally easy-going, unpretentious and enjoyed life to the fullest. Dave's true passion was for animal's rights. He adored his pets and treated them as children. Dave was a loving husband, wonderful son, trusting brother, and beloved uncle and his death has left us shattered. He will be remembered as an honorable, quiet, yet strong and a generous man working to help anyone in need. He will be fondly remembered and forever missed by his family and friends, but the memory of his strength and love remains and will help us through. He is survived by his wife, Diane; his brothers, Kevin and wife, Patty, Regis and Dan Holland; sister, Susan and wife, Reba; father-in-law, Hubert John Jackson and wife, Susan; sisters-in-law, Pamela White and husband, Robert and Terry Jackson; nephews and nieces, Sean, Michael, Jeff, Jason, Tori, Sam, Sarah and Abby; and many great-nieces and nephews and extended family members. Our family affectionately thanks the staff at VITAS Hospice for their loving and compassionate care warmly given to Dave during his time of illness.