Donna Rae Hollis

Donna Rae Hollis, age 78, passed away on August 19, 2026, after a courageous battle with brain cancer. After being known for her Thespian skills at Montgomery Blair High School in Maryland, she graduated from the University of North Carolina with a Mathematics degree. Her love for education continued as she pursued her Masters in Statistics at the University of Tennessee and helped sculpt young minds by becoming a math professor. Eventually, she transitioned into a statistician for Oak Ridge Laboratories. She later obtained her PhD at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro and became an asset to the Duke University Cancer Research Center as a longtime and loyal Biostatistician.

Donna was a headstrong and loving sister, wife, mother, aunt, and friend. Her brilliant mind and creative spirit infiltrated into the souls that crossed her path. Her love of crocheting & knitting supplied comfort and warmth to the homeless and newborn babies of Knoxville, and her empathetic intelligence supplied education for the less fortunate and an open loving home to all who entered. Camping in quiet nature and caring for her cats were simply her favorite small pleasures beyond the crochet hook and her daughter, whom she raised on her own. Whether it was a campground, a dock in Lake Gaston, or a book club, you would find Donna with a smile on her face and not a stranger in sight. To know her is to know you were friends before you even met. She will be dearly missed by many.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Truman Slothower, and her sister Barbara Kay Anderson. She is survived by her brother, Phil Hollis & family, and her sister, Ardith “Ardie” Roddy & family; her daughter Maranda Plummer & family; and her nieces Kana Wilhoit & family and Aldea Boaz & family.

At the request of Donna’s wishes, there will not be a funeral or graveside service. She asks each of you to remember a moment that makes you smile in her memory. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to https://www.redbirdky.org/give to supply clean water, sustainable housing, education, and healthcare to those who need it the most in the isolated regions of the Appalachian communities.