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As the family story goes, Dolly L. Hollen was born prematurely weighing in at about one and a half pounds, only to grow into a "tough" woman who served as a U.S. Army nurse in WWII before returning stateside to raise four children.
Hollen, 101, died Jan. 29 after a brief illness.
The Bellwood resident was born March 21, 1922, in Tyrone Forge, and, "being only a little more than a handful," she was "nurtured in a peach basket located behind the warmth of the family cook stove, where she thrived," her obituary read.
"That's the legend, yes," her oldest son Kenneth Hollen said. "That's what we were told. The doctor could hold her in one hand when she was delivered. Her mother lived to be 93 and when the story was told, she never denied it."
After graduating from Bellwood-Antis High School in 1940, Hollen attended the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Philadelphia.
"I think she was more of a feminist than we gave women of that time credit for," Hollen's daughter Nancy Dart said.
Hollen wanted to make sure that Dart had a career, and wanted to give her training, "in case I needed it," Dart said.
"I was a teacher for 30¢ years," Dart said. "They were very proud, both she and dad."
Hollen enlisted in the Army following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, served on a hospital train out of Camp Patrick Henry in Virginia and was accredited the rank of first lieutenant while stationed at the 219th General Hospital at Hickam Field, Oahu, Hawaii.
"When my uncle -- her brother -- was in WWII, he was stationed in the Pacific, but I'm not sure if she joined before or after he got wounded," Dart said. "Her father was in WWI. She joined the Army Nurse Corps. It just made sense to her that she would join."
Following the war, she married Guy D. Hollen on Feb. 4, 1950, sharing 59 years of marriage before his death in 2009. Together they had four children: Kenneth, Nancy, Donald and Richard.
"When I was growing up, she was tough," Kenneth said. "I think she kind of mellowed in her later years. She was always happy, always friendly."
Hollen continued to work as a nurse at both the Altoona and Tyrone hospitals and was the school nurse for the Bellwood-Antis School District. Kenneth said she would work third shift sometimes and wasn't always full time.
"She slept when she could and, yes, she was able to keep up with everything," Kenneth said. "I don't know how she did it."
Dart noted that Hollen would do her best to be home in time to see her children after school.
"I do remember that, no matter what, she was always waiting for us to get home from school," Dart said. "It was pretty special. We would climb up the stairs and plop on the porch swing with her and she'd ask how we were doing."
Kenneth said that his mom taught him everything he needed to know to survive on his own, such as how to cook, clean and other household chores. He was then a part of the last draft for the Vietnam War, something they could bond over.
An estimated 14,000 people lined the streets of Altoona for the annual Memorial Day parade in May 2022, when Hollen was being honored. Kenneth said he and his brother were riding in the car with Hollen along the parade route.
"She got tired of waving at people and I said, 'you have to wave,'" Kenneth said, laughing. "She asked 'who are all these people?' And I said, 'they're here for you.'"
During that Memorial Day service, Vice Mayor Jesse Ickes made a proclamation that going forward, Monday, May 30, would be known as Dolly Hollen Day in the City of Altoona.
"We thank her for her service and we hope that the citizens of Altoona will continue to celebrate this day," Ickes said.
A proclamation was also made on behalf of the Senate that recognized Hollen for her service, while state Rep. Lou Schmidt presented Hollen with a certificate of recognition from U.S. Rep. John Joyce.
"Her work to care for the sick and injured has been an invaluable asset to our country and our community," Joyce wrote. "Over the course of her life, she has undoubtedly impacted hundreds of lives for the better through her care and compassion."
Dart said her mother "absolutely loved her family," "was resilient" and "tried to make the best she could with everything that came along."
Hollen also had a wonderful sense of humor, was always singing, reading, learning new things, loved dancing -- even swaying back and forth well into her 80s, Dart said.
"We don't mourn her death; she had a long and happy life," Kenneth said. "We celebrate her."
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.