Margaret Elaine Hollis

Margaret Elaine Lomax Hollis passed away on May 9, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of faith, family and generosity. She was the second daughter of Bernice and William “Bryan” Lomax, born in the same house as her father, on the Lomax Farm in Hornersville, Missouri, on June 24, 1941. She was raised there with her sister, Alice.

Margaret grew up spending time outside and loved being at her Grandparents Culp’s farm and playing with her uncles and being pampered by her aunts. Her mother taught and placed a high value on education, determined that both daughters would “get a college degree!”, and faith was an integral part of the extended family’s daily life.

When she was a teenager, Margaret’s family relocated to California. She was in the first graduating class of Manuel Dominguez High School in Compton, where she was on the student committee that helped select the name, colors, and mascot. After a year back in Arkansas at Ouachita Baptist College, she transferred and received a sociology degree from California Baptist College.

Margaret had an adventure moving after graduation to Honolulu, Hawaii, to work with the Student Department of the Hawaii Baptist Convention. It was here that she met Bob, a naval officer from Texas with a degree from Baylor University. They dated across several states for three years and were married on June 25, 1966, in Decatur, Georgia.

After moving three times in the first year of marriage, they settled in, and never moved from, their first house in Garden Grove, California.

Margaret loved being a stay-at-home Mom and housewife, raising three children and spending time with extended family and friends. She established several family traditions, like Christmas Eve at the beach and shoebox packing on Thanksgiving for Operation Christmas Child. She loved college football, cooking, reading, quilting, and spending time with her grandchildren.

After her nest was empty, Margaret started volunteering with Baylor University, which eventually turned into a paid role as a Regional Admissions Counselor. Introducing several families and students to the school, she was, at one time, the only Baylor employee outside the state of Texas.

Bob and Margaret served at the national level of Marriage Encounter and later in life with Samaritan’s Purse, where they directly and indirectly affected countless lives.

Margaret served on the Board of Directors at California Baptist University and was that institution’s 2019 recipient of the Lancer Medal for Lifetime Achievement award. In her last days, she left a legacy of learning by establishing a scholarship at Baylor for deserving students in the college of Education.

Margaret is survived by her husband Bob, her son Rick and his wife DeAnn, her son Bill and his wife Lauren, and her daughter Anita; her grandson Brighton Smith and his wife, Chelsea; grandsons Garrett, Jack, Bryan, and Jacob; granddaughter Lily; and great granddaughter Abby; and her sister Alice; and many extended family members and friends who were blessed by her generosity and faith.

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at Shoreline Baptist Church in Fountain Valley, California, with a reception following.

In lieu of flowers, memorial dedications made to the Margaret L. Hollis Memorial Endowed Scholarship for the Moody School of Education in Margaret’s honor would be appreciated.

A Committal Service will be held at Westminster Memorial Park, Garden of Meditation, 14801 Beach Blvd., Westminster, CA 92683, on June 12, 2026, at 3:30 pm.