Juanita Gayle Holland, known and loved by everyone as Gayle or Nanny, passed away on June 9, 2026, surrounded by loved ones, at the age of 83. Born in Daviess County, Kentucky, she spent her life pouring into her faith, her family, and anyone fortunate enough to sit at her table.
Gayle worked for many years at the Cigar Factory and Fields Packing Co., but her truest calling was the one her name reflected being Nanny. Before she was Nanny to so many, she was a devoted mother to Robyn, a role she spoke of with tremendous pride and love.
She was a woman of Christian faith, and that faith showed up in the way she loved people consistently, year after year. She could always be found with a book or a word search puzzle nearby, and her cooking was its own kind of love language. Her chili and vegetable soup was a Halloween staple, a beloved tradition she and Robyn built together over the years. No birthday passed without a homemade cake made just for you.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Mary Bell and Garfield Payne; and her siblings, James Garfield Payne, Charles M. Payne, and Mary Margaret Owen.
She is survived by her daughter, Robyn Holland (Tim Teasley); grandchildren, Patrick (Dustie) Hayden, Jasmin (Nick) Smead, Jada Holland (Taylor Barajas), and Janae Head (Brooke Walker); great-grandchildren, Mackenzie (Colton) Wethington, Lainey Hayden, Connor Hayden, Julia Hayden, Genevieve Hayden, Jackson Smead, Layla Smead, and Jaxson Walker; great-great-grandchild, Anna Wethington and one on the way; and siblings, Pat Norris, Jerry Payne, and Janet Bartlett.
Honoring Gayle’s wishes, there will be no formal service. A celebration of life will be planned for a later date and announced by the family.