Holly Renee Small, age 58, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, passed away at 1:15 P.M. on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, in her home, surrounded by her family, after a courageous four-year battle with cancer.
Holly was a 1981 graduate of Edgerton High School, where she was a member of the state championship semi-finals girls basketball team.
She owned and operated Clean as a Whistle home and business cleaning service in Auburn, Indiana, for more than twenty years.
She was a registered nurse, graduating from St. Francis School of Nursing in Fort Wayne at the top of her class with a 4.0 grade point average while continuing to work.
She began her nursing career in 2005 and had worked at Parkview Ortho Hospital in Fort Wayne for nine years and had also worked at DeKalb Memorial Hospital in Auburn and Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.
With a highly-competitive spirit, Holly was an avid player and organizer of tournaments of pickleball. She enjoyed going to the Y and playing racketball, volleyball, golf, hatchet throwing, archery, ping pong and corn hole.
When she reached the qualifying age, she participated in the Fort Wayne Senior Games, taking the title three times.
She loved playing cards and keeping score to her advantage when playing with family. Family was most important to Holly and she enjoyed hosting holiday parties, decorating the house from top to bottom, and organizing food drives associated with the parties to benefit several area food banks.
She also enjoyed traveling to numerous states, including Alaska and Hawaii, and overseas to Europe and Guam.
Holly Renee Small was born on June 4, 1963, in Montpelier, Ohio, the daughter of Kenneth Dale and Phyllis J. (Souder) Jennings. She married Philip W. Small on October 10, 2010, in Fort Wayne, and he survives.
Surviving in addition to her husband are two daughters, Jama R. (Nate Kleeman) Donaldson, of Auburn, and Major Jenna K. Donaldson with the United States Air Force in Ellsworth, South Dakota; her greatly-anticipated grandchild, Holly’s Little Sweetheart, Baby K, to be born soon; her siblings, Greg (Janet) Jennings and Steve (Barb) Jennings, both of Edgerton, Ohio, Gary (JoAnn) Jennings, of Morganton, North Carolina, Kay Lane, of El Cajon, California, and Mark (Cindy) Jennings, of Butler, Indiana; three aunts, Patricia Kinsey, of Garrett, Indiana, Linda Souder, of Laotto, Indiana, and Maxine Sanders, of Edgerton; thirteen nephews and nieces; her couslings, who were like brothers and sisters to her growing up just down the road, Ruth, Jim, Judy, Dave, Bob, Becky, Nete, Pat and Keith.
She was preceded in death by her parents; one sister, Tracy Joan Jennings, in 1965; and one brother, Jeff Jennings, in 1980.
Visitation will be held from 2:00-7:00 P.M. on Friday, April 29, 2022, at Ken Dale Farms Event Center, 4172 County Road 1, Edgerton, Ohio. Services will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2022, at 11:00 A.M. at Ken Dale Farms with Pastor Todd Eckhart officiating. Private family interment will follow in Farnham Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to Community Care Food Pantry, Garrett, Indiana, and Life House Food Bank, Huntertown, Indiana.