Official Obituary by Ben Holland (Hunter's brother):

Mark Hunter Holland, 36, of Wilmington, NC, passed away on Wednesday, September 10, in Raleigh, due to an apparent heart attack.

His visitation will be at Brooks Funeral Home on Saturday, September 13 at 6pm, and his funeral will be at 2pm on Sunday at First United Methodist Church in Morehead City, with the Reverend Dr. Billy Seate, and associate Pastor Reverend Ben Simms, officiating. Burial will follow at Gethsemane Memorial Park.

Hunter was born on August 25, 1972 in Morehead City, the younger of two children of the late B. “Frank” Holland Jr. and Mary Ann Holland;
and brother and best friend of Benjamin F. Holland III.

Hunter was involved in a variety of activities, even as a young child. He participated in several Morehead City Parks and Recreation sports leagues, including soccer, basketball, and baseball. Additionally, he ran for Coach Sonny Hyman on the St. Egbert’s track team, where he qualified for the state meet. He excelled in the Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts, earning the highest honors at both levels of Scouting (the Arrow of Light, and Eagle Scout, respectively). He also enjoyed hunting and fishing with his father, brother, and several family friends, including Jerry Latif of Cedar Point, Frank Brennan of Roanoke Rapids, NC, and John Gillikin of Mebane, NC, bagging his share of deer and ducks, and catching lots of fish.

As a young child, he had a passion for learning about sea life and dinosaurs. He was also an avid reader, who completed several books, including J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, while in elementary school. His intellectual curiosity and love of reading extended through high school at West Carteret, where he graduated in 1990, and where he was an English student of Mrs. Jackie Davis. After 4 years of self-discovery, he entered UNC-Wilmington, and chose to major in English. Hunter was an exceptional college student, graduating in 1999 as one of only six students in his class to achieve Summa Cum Laude honors, with a 3.9 GPA. While in college, he also completed a Classical Studies course at the University of the Aegean, on the Greek island of Rhodes, under Dr. George Zervos, and was inducted into numerous academic honor societies.

Those of us who knew Hunter best would tell you without hesitation that his greatest passion was for his music, which led him to start playing in bands during high school. Before attending college, he had the pleasure of playing his music with his good friends Martin LaCasse and Tim Rowe, of Newport. Hunter returned to his main passion after graduation from UNC-Wilmington, and joined brothers Frank and Serge Stroehmer, to be joined later by Shawn Corbett, of Wilmington, NC, to form the band Gollum.

After over 10 years of the trials and tribulations associated with belonging to a band, Gollum’s drive, hard work, and dedication were rewarded this past summer when they were offered a 4-record contract with west coast independent label Rotten Records, a contract which would distribute their music worldwide. All of their independently-scheduled and self-financed tours, performed while living in a town that did not typically generate a lot of contract offers, had paid off. They had finally achieved their dream.

Hunter had a very outgoing and fun-loving personality, often using his unique sense of humor to lighten the mood. He was intensely loyal to friends, which included a wide, diverse range of personalities and backgrounds. He was also a very sensitive person, who could be either a good listener, or provide tough love, depending on what the situation called for. He was a breath of fresh air, a rare individual who was never afraid of being himself.

His unexpectedly sudden and early departure from this world has left a lot of people shell-shocked, including the love of his life, Charlotte Taylor, of Beaufort, who was by Hunter’s side when he passed. She was a very positive influence on Hunter during the final months of his life, a time during which Hunter became both increasingly spiritual, and satisfied with the life he lived. Her relationship with Hunter will be something for which his family will be eternally grateful.

The last time he was together with his mom and brother, shortly after Gollum was signed, he told them that if he had to die the next day, he was very satisfied with his life. He had achieved his musical dream, he had met the love of his life, and had made several wonderful friends along the way. While his physical absence has a lot people feeling understandably shocked, saddened, and wondering why his death had to come at such an early age, the spirit of The Little Drummer Who Could was and will continue to be an inspiration to more people than he could have ever imagined, regardless of where their God-given talents or passions may lie. Here’s to a short life well-lived.