Lover of economics, breaker of barriers, devoted listener of NPR, and skilled sight-reader of music, Dr. Rebecca L. Holland passed away on April 27, 2026, after a tenacious 30+ year battle with Multiple Sclerosis.

Born on March 5, 1949 (Lawrence, KS), Rebecca was the second of five children born to Dalton T. and Mary W. Holland. She was raised in the farm town of Harper, KS (est. pop. 1,200), before venturing off to Kansas State University, where she earned a B.S. in economics. An insatiable learner, Rebecca next headed to Texas Tech University, where she earned her PhD. in economics. Afterward, she and her first husband (Dr. Joseph Schwartz) moved to the Washington, D.C. area where she worked as an analyst at the U.S. Treasury Department. In D.C., Rebecca gave birth to her daughter, Sarah, and soon after moved to Tulsa, OK, where she spent much of her career in banking as a Senior Vice President in International Finance. After retiring from the bank, she taught at the University of Tulsa (and other local colleges).

Rebecca was an incredible inspiration and a model of humility. She was inexhaustible: tirelessly driven in her career, where she broke barriers as a rare woman in her field, while excelling as a single mother for nearly fourteen years. Rebecca could change a flat tire, solve complex math, and torture her daughter with educational vacations with the best of them.

In 1994, Rebecca married Ronald J. Nick, with whom she was able to share her love of learning and endless curiosity. For twenty years they traveled to the Chataqua Institution in upstate New York to engage with diverse lecturers, musicians, and authors discussing their latest books. There, they developed a community of like-minded friends delighted to sit on a porch and gab about anything from espionage to WWI to robotics and everything in between.

Rebecca also juggled numerous volunteer activities in Tulsa, and over the years she served on the board for Tulsa Street School and worked with the Tulsa District Export Council, the Council on Foreign Affairs, and the United Way. In her later years, Rebecca was physically limited, but she still found a way to help pack cookies for the Tulsa Synagogue’s Altamont Bakery, which sells cookies to support Mental Health Association Oklahoma. Rebecca and Ron once drove 22 hours to the D.C. area to visit Sarah’s family only to head home 48 hours later because Rebecca just “had” to return in time for cookie packing, the highlight of her week.

Rebecca was preceded in death by her parents, Dalton T. and Mary W. Holland; sister, Bonita Winer (husband Dr. Robert Winer); and brother, Dr. Joe P. Holland (wife Nancy). She is survived by her husband, Ronald J. Nick; daughter, Sarah Schwartz (husband Blake Surbey); two grandchildren, Harper and Jude Surbey-Schwartz; sister, Sara Holland-Adams (husband David); and brother, John Holland (wife Janet). Rebecca’s family and friends will miss her thoughtfulness, earnest nature, dogged determination, and kindness most of all. A celebration of life will be held later this year.

Ninde Funeral & Cremation | (918) 742-5556 | ninde.com