Funeral Held For Sandy Springs Mom Killed By Ex-Boyfriend

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — Friends and family said goodbye last weekend to the Sandy Springs mother who police say died at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. The funeral service for Amber Marie Holliman was held Saturday, June 9 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Holliman was found dead May 26 inside a house fire on Hammond Drive. Police charged her ex-boyfriend, Patrick Joseph Nolan, 43, with murder, aggravated assault with intent to murder and arson in the first degree charges in connection to Holliman's death.

Nolan was later found dead from an apparent suicide June 1 inside a Gonzales, Louisiana, hotel, Sandy Springs police told Patch.

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According to her obituary, Holliman was born on July 23, 1978, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

"Amber immediately established herself a person full of spirit, life, and independence," her obituary notes. Her daughter, Payton Jewel Holliman, was born four years after she graduated from high school. Holliman dedicated her life to providing a stable upbringing for her daughter and was a talented member of the service industry.

"A highly-intelligent, life-loving person, Amber was always drawn to the cultural opportunities that could be provided to her and Payton by a larger metropolitan area," her obituary goes on to state.

Holliman moved to Atlanta and began working at The Rusty Nail on Buford Highway where she made "deep, lasting friendships." When she was not working, she spent her free time with close friends.

"One of the greatest gifts she provided to those she leaves behind is that she never left anything unsaid," her family noted. "She made sure to tell those she loved how important they were to her daily. Amber touched too many lives to count in her 39 years. Her amazing presence will be always missed (sic) and never forgotten."

Along with her daughter, Holliman is survived by parents, Eulean “Junior” and Patti Holliman; brother, Matthew Holliman; nieces, Julia and Laney Holliman; grandfather, Al Pickard; many aunts, uncles, and cousins; and too many loyal, dedicated friends to count. Jessica and Nick Cardellino survive Amber as Payton's godparents.

A GoFundMe account was also created to help Payton, a 2018 Riverwood International Charter School graduate, with anything she may need following her mother's murder. You can consider making a donation to that account by clicking here.

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