Marjorie Holloway's Obituary
Marjorie Grace Alexander Holloway was born on January 5, 1933, in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the oldest child of Marjorie Jackson Alexander and Clifford R. Alexander. Her brother Clifford Alexander was born in 1935.
The family lived in Baltimore until Marjorie was seven and then, with her father’s promotion in the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, they moved to Savannah, Georgia, where they resided for seven years. Two of those years Marjorie and Clifford were sent to live with their maternal grandparents in Springfield, Massachusetts to avoid the segregated schools in Savannah. In 1946, due to another promotion, the family moved to Philadelphia.
Upon graduation from Girls High School, Marjorie attended Temple University, majoring in Social Work. She then attended Atlanta University School of Social Work. As part of her studies, Marjorie did a second year of Field Placement at the clinic in New York established by Drs. Mamie and Kenneth Clark who were known for presenting the Doll Research to the Supreme Court which led to desegregation of schools. Marjorie earned her Master’s in Social Work in 1956. After graduation, she moved back to New York and worked a year for Protestant Big Sisters in Harlem.
She then moved to San Francisco, California in 1957 where she became one of the first African American social workers in the Child Welfare Department. In 1960, she was given the Koshland Award, a California state award in social work for her work in the Fillmore District. Subsequent employment included Napa State Hospital, Contra Costa County Child Welfare Services, Family Services in San Francisco, West Oakland Health Center, Alameda County Health Care Services, and Alameda County Mental Health Services from which she retired in 1990. She then worked for City of Oakland Office on Aging. She opened a private practice as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She also worked voluntarily as facilitator for a Grandparent Support Group at her church, Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church and with the Kinship Support Program of Family Support Services of the Bay Area.
Community activities included the Oak Center Neighborhood Association; Oakland Crack Task Force; Coalition for West Oakland Revitalization; founding member of the National Association of Black Social Workers; the Boards of West Oakland Mental Health and Big Sisters. Other activities were Atlanta University Alumni, Les Girls, Jack and Jill, and Alpha Nu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Marjorie joined Taylor Church in 1989 and worked with the Taylor Community Services Board; the Grandparent Support Group; the Scholarship Committee; Class Leaders; Bereavement Committee; and Women’s Day Committee.
Marjorie and Harold Holloway married in 1965. In 1967, their daughter Amy Elizabeth Holloway, the love of their life, was born. Marjorie and Harold divorced but continued to coparent Amy. Harold passed in 1989. Marjorie and Amy continued to be close to the wonderful Holloway family.
Marjorie enjoyed traveling with Girls High Alumni, the Black Social Workers, and family, visiting 20 countries.
Marjorie was preceded in death earlier this year by her brother Clifford. Marjorie is survived by her daughter Amy, beloved nieces, nephews and cousins of the Holloway, Jackson and Alexander families, and a host of dear friends and colleagues.
The Memorial for Marjorie will be Thursday, December 22, 2022, 11am at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland. The service will also be livestreamed.
For those attending, if possible, please test for covid ahead of time and wear a mask for safety.
In lieu of flowers, those who would like to are invited to donate in memory of Marjorie Holloway to the following organizations to which she was devoted.
Pearl and Ivy Community Corporation for scholarships
https://www.pearlivy.org/donate.html
Bay Area Association of Black Social Workers
PO Box 23091, Oakland CA 94623
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