Carl Hollingsworth

Carl Isaiah "Skip" Hollingsworth, Jr., 72, of Brenham, peacefully passed into the Lord''s hands on Sept. 4, 2013, at his residence. A memorial service to honor his life will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26 at the Brenham Elks Lodge, 400 E. Germania St. Skip was born Oct. 26, 1940 in Pittsburgh, PA, to Carl Isaiah Sr. and Elizabeth Brody Hollingsworth. Skip spent six years in the U.S. Navy on a special forces team that later became the Navy Seals program. His education began at the University of Georgia with a degree in economics. He also attended the Harvard School of Business and received his business degree. His expertise with computers led him into the computer division with Honeywell, Inc., where he worked for more than 30 years. During that tenure, he headed up the team that wrote OS, the original operating system for computers in the 1960s. Skip eventually became a regional manager for Honeywell Information Systems. He was manager for offices located in Knoxville, TN, Atlanta, GA, Miami, FL, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Metairie, LA and Houston, TX. In Houston, Skip met Joanne Witte of Brenham. They were married July 11, 1980 and enjoyed a weekend home in Brenham while both worked with Honeywell in Houston. In the fall of 1982, the couple moved to Brenham, where Skip became the first Washington County tourism director for the Chamber of Commerce. In this position, Skip delved into reading every Texas history book he could find. His interest in Washington County history became his primary concern. He spent many hours at the Star of Republic Museum in Washington, where he researched more local Texas history. His research inspired him to coin the phrase, "Washington County – the Birthplace of Texas." This phrase has become the slogan of Washington County Tourism and is still used today. In his retirement from the Chamber of Commerce, he became active in various development projects in the county. Another retirement/career that he pursued was becoming General Manager of Appel Ford in Brenham. After this position, he became involved with Tegeler Toyota, also in Brenham. In October of 1993, his beloved mother-in-law, Pearl Witte, passed away. At this point Skip finally retired and became a dedicated caregiver for his father-in-law, Melvin Witte. Skip loved animals so much that he served as president of the Friends of the Brenham Animal Shelter. He and Joanne adopted many furry friends from the shelter. During his life Skip enjoyed playing chess and fishing. As an avid golfer, he played to a 1 handicap during his younger years. Memorials can be given in his memory to Texas Elks Children''s Services, 1963 FM 1586, Gonzales, TX. 78629, the Don Austin Animal Shelter, P. O. Box 1059, Brenham, Tx. 77833, Attn. Animal Shelter or your favorite charity. Arrangements are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main St., Brenham, TX 979 836-4564. To post a tribute to the family, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.