Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Amaryllis Aileen Barber Holloway Gerber (Amy) was born on February 12, 1927, in Lincoln, NE, to Carl H. Barber and Elsie Babcock Barber. In 1931, the family moved to Fairbury where her father helped establish the Barber Furniture Company. Amaryllis attended East School and Fairbury Jr. High and graduated from Fairbury High School in 1944.
Amaryllis became an accomplished pianist and developed a love for singing. She attended Nebraska Wesleyan University where she studied voice, piano and organ, and was a member of the Delta Zeta Sorority. After graduation, Amaryllis returned to Fairbury where she taught English and Music and soon was hired as choir director at First Christian Church.
In 1950, she married fellow teacher Roy Holloway. That union produced her pride and joy, her three children, Jane, Peggy and Steve. The Holloway house was full of music, books, and the love of traveling and theatre. Amaryllis earned her Master’s degree at UNL in 1970, specializing in vocal music education. She performed in and directed many theatre productions over the years with the Fairbury Area Community Theatre, the Thayer County Tumbleweed Players, and the Brown Grand Opera House.
In 1990, Amaryllis married Dr. Daniel Gerber, and they moved to Concordia, KS, where Dan had taken a position at Cloud County Community College. Amaryllis returned to teaching elementary music part-time as well as teaching piano lessons at home and voice lessons at the college. Amaryllis soon took on the choir director position at First Methodist Church where she served until she retired at age 90! She was on the Board of the Community Concert Association and was active with the Crusader’s Sunday School Class and the Cloud County Senior Center. She loved travel, especially trips to Dan’s family reunions in Ohio and Virginia, international adventures with Dan’s sister Nancy and brother-in-law Wes, and the annual Sunday School class “Mystery Tours” of Kansas. Amy loved traveling to attend the musical and theatrical performances of her children and granddaughters and the football games and wrestling matches played and coached by her grandsons. She remained a life-long fan of Nebraska Husker and Fairbury High School football.
Amy’s many organizations included Eastern Star, Improvement Club, Music Club, and PEO. Amy’s creative school and church music programs were legendary, and she enjoyed writing and presenting educational programs for her organizations.
Amy was devoted to her friends and family. Once you were Amy’s friend, you were her friend for life. Lifetime friends included childhood friends, Audrey Reynolds Haynes and the Phil Gibson family, sorority sisters, Maria Ross and Mary Watts, fellow teachers, Betty Munoz, Mary Lou Foster and Mary Johnson, and Concordia friends, Peggy and Paul Nelson and Connie and Phil Bentz. Amy adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren who idolized their Grandma Amy.
In her later years, Amy experienced health problems and was blessed to be cared for by her husband Dan until his death from a stroke in 2021. In August of 2024, she moved to Lincoln to be closer to her family. On February 9th, 16 family members filled a party room to celebrate the 98th birthday of their beloved Amy. She passed away in Lincoln on February 21, 2025.
Amaryllis was preceded in death by her husband Daniel, her parents, her sister Carlene (Bill) Sinn, and great-granddaughter Elsie Marie. Her memory is now preserved and treasured by her children, Jane Garfield (Jim) of Central City, Peggy Holloway (Ken Peters) of Omaha and Steve Holloway of Brooklyn, NY; her step-sons, Daniel Timothy Gerber (Luann) of Onalaska, WI, and Jared Gerber (Kristine) of Omaha; 5 grandchildren, Derek Garfield (Stephanie) of Fairbury, Darin Garfield (Chevonne) of Central City and Danae Garfield (Doug Evans) of Lincoln and Meganne Horrocks (Craig Bond) and David Horrocks of Omaha; 4 great-grandchildren, 4 step-grandsons and 1 step-great-grandson. In addition, she will be remembered by her stepbrother and sisters, her nephews, and countless relatives and friends.
A graveside service at the Steele City Cemetery and a memorial gathering will be held at a later date. Memorials may be directed to the Nebraska Wesleyan Department of Music and First United Methodist Church of Concordia, Kansas.
Condolences online at Roperandsons.com
