Paul James Hollis Obituary

Paul James Hollis attended Garden City High School in Garden City, NY. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Paul James Hollis.

Graduation Year	Class of 1979
Date of Passing	Jan 23, 2016
About	Paul James Hollis, 54, of Gainesville, Florida died Saturday, January 23, 2016, at the University of Florida-Shands Hospital. Paul was born in Glen Cove Hospital, New York and was raised in Garden City, Long Island. His parents, Dr. William Carroll Hollis Jr. and Regina "Jean" (McVeety), both deceased, were longtime residents of Garden City Long Island. Paul was a 1979 graduate of Garden City High School and for four years was a star athlete on the varsity lacrosse team. He also played football and was a member of the wrestling team. After graduating, Paul advanced his education at Princeton University. Paul played lacrosse during his entire career at Princeton and was awarded status as an All-Ivy attackman. He graduated with a BS in Political Science, Class of 1984. Enlarge Map Following graduation, Paul played lacrosse professionally in Adelaide, Australia. Upon returning to the United States, Wall Street beckoned and he became a Yankee bond trader in New York City and had a career that spanned twenty years. Then Paul embarked upon a second career, getting a Masters in Education, from Malloy College, Long Island, New York. At the time of his death, Paul was teaching AP Economics and AP Government at Eastside High School in Gainesville where he was the Head Lacrosse Coach as well. Paul was renowned for his creativity and talent in sparking interest in the driest of topics. He utilized elements of pop culture, artistry and commentary to stimulate and lay groundwork for understanding subjects as varied as Watergate, the Rwandan genocide, the Supreme Court and the mechanics of the financial markets. When Paul commenced coaching in Gainesville at Eastside High School, lacrosse had only recently been introduced to its sports roster. For the three seasons Paul coached, the improvement was remarkable with the team multiplying their wins impressively and going to Districts three times in a row. Paul's reputation on and off the field engendered respect and admiration. From the Florida Lacrosse News: "Eastside Head Coach Paul Hollis is widely respected as one of the good guys on the Gainesville lacrosse scene and his guys reflected that." Intelligent, honorable, kind, loving, positive and strong are his most obvious characteristics. Paul is survived by his wife, Bernadette and his siblings, William C III (Catherine), Peter (Christine), Jeannine (Sidney) Hollis-Lima, Mark (Angie), Aileen (Damon) Anderson, sixteen nieces and nephews, Patrick Hollis, Sam Sack, Matthew Hollis- Lima, Casey Sack, Emmeline Hollis, Timothy Hollis, Dylan Anderson, Andrew Hollis, Hayley Anderson, Erin Hollis, Megan Fairbank, Brooks Anderson, Liam Hollis, William Hollis, Kelly Hollis, Tara Hollis, his mother-in-law and father-in-law Doris "Mommala" and Donald Woolfenden, sisters-in-law, Siobhan Sack and Judith Houlihan. A Memorial Service and Celebration of Paul's life was held Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Gainesville. Plans are underway for a Memorial Celebration in Paul's hometown, Garden City Long Island.