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Luiz Lee Holland and Helena Cera Luiz Lee Holland, born November 29, 1906 in Porto Feliz, SP, Brazil; died November 16, 1994 in Piracicaba; married Helena Cera January 05, 1932 in Piracicaba. Luiz Lee Holland, son of Robert Wilson Holland, when was a child moved with his family from Porto Feliz to São Paulo. After his father's death, in an working accident, Rita Holland, his mother, went to Itirapina, to live with her parents-in-law. They lived there some time; it was the time when Luiz and his brother Eduardo learnt to speak English, for all conversation in that house was in that Language. After his grandparent's death they moved to Piracicaba. Luiz, as older child, had to work hard to help maintain the family. He started working in a drugstore but soon find a better place as a seller in a store of masculine shoes and accessories like hats, canes and white shirts. After some years, the store's owner retired and sold the business to him. This time he was already married to Helena Vanucci Cera Helena was the seventh child of a wealthy Italian immigrant and sister of a doctor and town councilor. She was born July 10 1908, in Santa Maria da Serra, near São Pedro, SP and is still living in 2000. They married January 5 1932. After they married, Luiz's mother lived with the young couple in the second pavement of their store. His brothers were all married and had moved. Helena's father gave them a nice house near the store and they moved. Then they opened a second cheaper priced store near the first one. Every body used to thing that was having a bargain on the other store. This happened because Helena and Luiz had the same products in both and used to play a trick. The main store was named Casa Silveira and its prices were very high. The other store was Casa Paratodos. Nobody knew that this second store also belonged to Luiz but guessed the manager, an Arabian man named Tufy, was the owner. Both stores were connected by the back yard, so after Helena had lost a selling in Casa Silveira, she used to quickly go to Casa Paratodos by the backyard, call Tuffy and secretly tell him to offer this same client, who by now might be entering the store, the products he had liked by a slightly, but yet expensive, price>. After ten years of hard work, with staunch help of his wife, Luiz had already some money saved, so decided having children. Two daughters, were born in 1942 and 1943. With the motherhood Helena became busy at home, thus they sold the stores and Luiz started to build houses to sell. The new firm developed, he invested in real state and bought two theaters as a form to assure his family welfare. The first skyscraper he built he gave the name of his mother, Rita Holland. This building still stands in Piracicaba downtown. Soon he was opening new streets and avenues in the city. In 1949 was born his third and last daughter. In 1954 the family moved again to a new house of 18,000 square feet, Luiz had built over a hill, where from you could see the whole city, a wonderful view. About 1960, the country economy became complicated, and this was affecting business. Because of the increasing inflation it was impossible to plan the costs of future constructions, so he changed business again. He saw a great opportunity in the new automotive companies that were arriving to Brazil this time so he opened an auto parts plant. This plant got bigger and even was officially visited by Juscelino Kubistcheck, president of Brazil. In 1985 this plant gave job to more than 450 workers.Luiz was president the following clubs: Cristovam Colombo Club, XV de Novembro Piracicaba Football Club, Rotary Club of Piracicaba and Piracicaba Chess Club. After his death, Cristovam Colombo Club named its swimming pools complex after Luiz Lee Holland as hommage to its former president. The city also named a street after him. He was chess champion of open games of São Paulo State country of 1964. Luiz Lee Holland was an important member of Piracicaba's community and politic. He suffered Alzheimer's disease and spent the last two years of his life in bed. They had nine grandchildren and two great granddaughters
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