Sylvan Andrew Holland was born on June 19, 1939, to parents Ole and Ellen (Olson) Holland, in Heron Lake, MN. He attended grade school at the rural Red, White and Blue School house and graduated from Windom High School in 1957. Growing up Sylvan was a member of the Springfield Sparkler's 4-H Club. Sylvan helped aunts and uncles with yard work and odd jobs and always said, "The food was good!" As a teenager, he worked for Storden Builder's Supply helping build wooden grain bins and doing cement work on the Storden elevator. He also worked for Moore's Garage in Storden. When Sylvan was 16, he traveled to Norway with his family by ship to visit many of his parent's extended family. In high school, Sylvan was active in baseball, choir and band, playing the coronet. After graduating from high school, Sylvan farmed with his parents and got started with their dairy operation. In 1958, Sylvan entered the Minnesota National Guard, completing six years with a rank of E-7 Sgt. First Class. On July 3, 1959, he married Lorene Mae Kuehl at Amo Lutheran Church in rural Storden, MN. Moving into a small home on his parent's farm and farming with his dad until 1962, Sylvan and Lorene purchased and moved to their own 160-acre farm just up the road. Sylvan was a dedicated farmer, who worked hard crop farming, milking cows, raising pigs and horses. Renting out the farmland, Sylvan then worked at Toro for 11 years, working the night shift doing die cast work. He continued to help a few friends and relatives with farming as well. One of Sylvan's passions outside of farming were his cars. He loved to drive his Z28 and Corvette and liked to talk about how fast he would drive them. He was not shy about talking about the best tractors around, International Harvester. He was not a fan of John Deere or any other car company except for Chevrolet. He was particularly fond of his Farmall Super MTA tractor and also liked to collect die cast models of tractors. He enjoyed watching Nascar races, especially when the Earnhardt's were racing. He was a big MN Twins fan, and the games were often on the radio in the barn when Sylvan was milking cows. Sylvan loved to carry on his Norwegian heritage and traditions with family, especially at Christmas. While everyone didn't learn to love lutefisk like he did, favorites were definitely lefse, krumkakes and kringles. In Sylvan's retirement, he enjoyed spending time working in his toy shed and loved the newest gadgets in tools. He learned to wood carve and made ornaments and other prized possessions that his family treasures. His beloved cat, Sissy, held a special place in his heart and always made him smile. He always loved cats, and many cats found their homes on the farm over the years. He and Lorene were able to travel more in retirement and enjoyed trips to Glacier National Park, Hawaii and Norway. Norway was particularly special, as it was a return trip to the home where his dad grew up and also a trip that their granddaughter Mariah joined them on. In addition, they made multiple trips to the MN State Fair and Spencer Fair. They also enjoyed traveling to watch their grandchildren's marching band performances, basketball, hockey and soccer games. He also enjoyed listening to music by his favorite country singers, which included Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, just to name a few. Sylvan was a member of Amo Lutheran Church and served on the church council for numerous years. Sylvan passed away peacefully Friday evening, November 6, 2020, under hospice care at Franklin Center for Nursing and Memory Care after quickly declining health. A special thank you to the nurses, staff at Franklin and Carrris Health-Redwood hospice team for their compassion and care of Sylvan in this difficult time. Sylvan was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Marvin Holland, and his special cats Pee Wee and Sissy. He loved spending time with his family and always made time for them. There are countless special memories all working together on the farm over the years. Those who survive him include his wife Lorene; children: Denise (Scott) Anderson, Lake Crystal, Tammy (Skip) Sturtz, Plymouth, and Todd (Jill) Holland, Annandale; three grandchildren: Adam (Megan) Sturtz, Hannah Sturtz and Mariah Holland (fiancé Jesse Stark) as well as other relatives and friends. He is dearly missed by his family and friends.