Eva Maxine Holder

Eva Maxine Engle Holder, 95, died Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at home in Cairo after several months of declining health. Maxine was born in the Altitude community February 25, 1926, the oldest of seven children of Shelby Ross “Dank” Engle and Essie Mae Burcham Engle. She was a member of Little Flock Primitive Baptist Church.
Her family was moving from Altitude to Cairo in the spring of ’42 when a young farm boy, Hassell Holder spotted her on the seat of a wagon with her grandfather. For him, it was love at first site. They would go to Burton School together until January 30, 1943, when they quit school to marry. It was a commitment for life. Mother of six, Maxine was a wonderful cook and gardener. She loved gardening, preserving the fruits and vegetables she raised and sharing the extra with family, friends, and neighbors. She also loved growing flowers and her yard always had flowers in bloom somewhere. After her two oldest children left home, she worked at a donut shop in Iuka and then in shirt factories in Rienzi, Paden, and Booneville. At a young age her mother taught her that idle hands were the devil’s workshop. Her hands were never idle. She made beautiful quilts by hand and crocheted hundreds of baby blankets, afghans, doilies, tablecloths, and bedspreads. But her greatest joy in life was her eleven grandchildren and twenty-six great grandchildren.
Funeral service will be at McMillan Funeral Home, Booneville at 1 p.m. Friday with 2 hours visitation prior to start of funeral services. Brother Roger Browning will officiate with Ronnie Holder giving the eulogy. Burial will be in the Holder Cemetery East at Burnsville. There will be no grave side service.
She is survived by her son Ronnie Holder and his wife, Anne Twitty Holder, daughter Marsha Holder, two daughters-in-law, Annette Maness Holder and Dorthy Taylor Holder, nine granddaughters, two grandsons, and 26 great grandchildren, sister Dorothy Engle Surratt and brother James Robert Engle and his wife, Rheta Lester Engle and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She was preceded by her husband of 78 years, Hassell T. Holder, her parents, sons Edward Tulon “Eddie” Holder and Gary Keith Holder, daughter Rita Sue Holder Twitty and son-in-law Randy Twitty and daughter Ola Mae Holder, sisters Annie Ree Engle Lowrey, Frankie Lee Engle Bates, Margaret Ione Engle, and brother Shelby Jack Engle.
Pallbearers are grandsons Daniel Holder and Scott Twitty, grandson-in-laws, Ronald Lambert, Rob Tyler, Kelvin Hammock, Josh Beckham, Brandon Burcham, Shane Green, Ben Barnett, and Tom Napier. Honorary pallbearers are granddaughters, Cindy Lambert, Beth Tyler, Sarah Hammock, Jessica Thornton, Stephanie Beckham, Teesha Burcham, Felisha Green, Natalie Barnett, and Allison Napier.