William Chris Holliday's Obituary
William Chris Holliday, 61, of Germantown, Tennessee passed away on December 25th, 2023.
He was born to John and Mitzie Holliday on July 17th, 1962, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Chris was a graduate of Sheffield High School. He graduated in 1985 from Memphis State University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity and was selected as Who’s Who during his senior year. He started working at FedEx during college. Chris met his wife Susan at Memphis State, and they were happily married for 36 years.
He completed a master’s degree in operations management from the University of Arkansas in 1991. He recently finished a graduate certificate in nonprofit leadership from the University of Memphis as he planned to work in philanthropy after finishing his time at FedEx.
Chris spent 41 years at FedEx as an industrial engineer, including 25 years in management. He loved recruiting for FedEx and helping engineers prepare for management. He believed in servant leadership and liked to listen more than speak. One of the highlights of his time at FedEx was being selected to be part of the Global Leadership Corp. He spent a month in Bulgaria with 14 other FedEx managers, working to build the leadership skills at five nonprofits.
He enjoyed doing activities with his family, like hiking and watching sports. He was a big fan of the Memphis Tigers, Memphis Grizzlies, Kansas City Chiefs, and Cincinnati Reds. He liked to attend music festivals with his children as well as spend time at the Overton Shell with Susan.
Chris was an active member of St. Louis Catholic Church. He helped his wife Susan with the St. Angela Ministry, which provided a monthly social gathering for special needs adults. He loved coaching sports at St. Louis, including soccer, basketball, baseball, and softball. He also liked helping with Feed My Flock, an annual event preparing meals for those in need.
He had a relationship with God very early in life and had faith that God would direct his path. He loved his daily devotion and prayer time. Thankfulness and trust in God were always important.
Chris is survived by his wife Susan Holliday; his children Jonathan, Andrew, and Elizabeth; his mother Mitzie; his brothers John Jr (Shawn) and Kip (Sandy).
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Hope Hospice for all of the love and support they have shown us during this difficult time.
Memorials may be made to JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and Special Olympics Greater Memphis or a charity of your choosing.
Family will receive friends from 5:00pm to 7:00pm on Friday, December 29th at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN with a rosary to follow. A memorial Mass will be held on Saturday, December 30th at 1:00pm with a reception to follow at St. Louis Church, 203 S. White Station Road, Memphis, TN 38117. For those out of town or unable to attend, you can join the memorial mass via YouTube at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-05BXpqnZE
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