Bankie Rae Hollis Holley

BANKIE RAE HOLLIS HOLLEY, 74, died Aug. 7, 2014, in Little Rock. She was born on Oct. 1, 1939, in Lillie, La., the daughter of Elmer Leslie and Ella Rae Hollis. Mrs. Holley received a B.A. in Music Education and an M.M. in Music Education from Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La.. Prior to her husband's passing, Bankie and Don had recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. She is survived by her son, Stephen, and his wife, Kelly, of Centennial, Colo.; her daughter, Helen, of Little Rock; her brothers, Leslie, of Minden, La., and John, of Memphis, Tenn.; and three grandchildren, Bailey Holley of Little Rock, and Nathaniel and Benjamin Holley of Centennial, Colo.; and a host of relatives; friends; and grateful students. Visitation with family will be Monday, Aug. 11, from 6-8 p.m., with a service at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12, to be officiated by Brent Higdem – both at Stephenson-Dearman Funeral Home in Monticello, Ark. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery. Online guestbook www.stephensondearman.com. In lieu of flowers, the Arkansas Women Band Directors Association has named a scholarship in her name, the Bankie Holley Memorial Scholarship, which will help fund the college education of a new generation of Arkansas band directors. To her former students who no longer play, Bankie's family asks that you donate your lightly used instrument to Play It Again Arkansas, so that that new generation of musicians might benefit from her legacy. Please email commentry66@gmail.com for more information.