Born September 16, 1964 at Waterman Hospital in Eustis, Michael was the first child born to J. Lewis Holland and Gayle Thompson, both of Eustis.

Raised in Eustis, Michael was affectionately nicknamed “Bubba” by his two younger sisters.  After attending various local schools, he played football for Eustis High and graduated in 1983.

Michael worked many hours after school and during college at his family’s furniture store.  His grandparents, B.E. and Pauline Thompson, started the store as a secondhand furniture shop and built it into the largest furniture store in town.  The building, located at the corner of Magnolia and North Bay, now houses a barbershop, a dress shop and the train station.

When the furniture store closed, due to pressures from chain competitors, Michael moved to Atlanta to attend college.  He received his Associates degree in Mortuary Science from Gupton-Jones College and embarked on a career.

Michael has served grieving families as a funeral director for almost twenty years.  He is the general manager of Baldwin-Fairchild’s Oaklawn Cemetery and Funeral Home in the Sanford/Lake Mary area.  Along with a staff of dedicated employees, Michael serves hundreds of client families every year, ensuring that all the details of important funeral arrangements are met and that every family’s requests are handled with extreme care.

Michael is the proud uncle of 7 nieces and nephews, who attend church and school in the Eustis area.

Michael lives on the North end of Eustis, in the Lake Yale Landing subdivision.  He is a member of the Eustis 125th Anniversary Committee, serves on the Eustis Code Board and provides guidance to the Eustis Historical Museum and Preservation Board as 1st Vice President.

A Kiwanian, Michael is also a member of the Eustis Chamber of Commerce and Eustis Mainstreet.