CHARLES LAWRENCE HOLLAS March 1, 1942 – July 22, 2025
Charles Lawrence Hollas lived a full life in Texas, Australia, and New Mexico. He passed away peacefully in Oakland, California, and was surrounded by family in his last days.
Charles was born in Cameron, Texas, second of four children of Leo and Milady Hollas. He excelled in school, loved science and at his mother’s suggestion to “Get yourself an education”, he completed a BS in Physics from the University of Texas in Austin and then, in 1971, his PhD in Experimental Nuclear Physics.
Charles felt privileged to enjoy a career in a field he loved. From 1971 until 1976, he was a Research Fellow at the Australian National University performing basic research in nuclei structure. He continued his research at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Meson Physics Facility, working for the University of Texas as a research associate from 1976 until 1985. Charles joined the advanced Nuclear Technology Group in 1985 where he served as a principal investigator for development programs for nuclear-based technologies.
During his tenure with the group, Charles developed technology for the accurate assessment of nuclear waste, measured the sub criticality of various nuclear assemblies and developed seminal methods of passive and active interrogation of nuclear materials for safeguards. He was one of the first to conduct research in the use of the associated particle technique for three-dimensional imaging of objects hidden from view. He was known by his colleagues as adding decorum and elegance to the team. With his extensive experience, Charles served as a mentor to younger technical staff on the proper approaches to executive experimental nuclear measurement campaigns. He retired from LANL in 2005.
In 1983, after a long-distance courtship, he married Doris Thielemann and enjoyed showing New Mexico to Doris. They spent many days enjoying cross-country skiing, hiking and camping as well as gardening and concerts together. In 1985, their daughter Julia Marie was born, and Charles had another loved one with whom to share the beauty of Northern New Mexico. The family went on backpacking adventures in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, hiking through the Jemez, and cross-country skiing in Chama. And on an ordinary evening, they would all pour a drink, be it a Glenlivet or Shirley Temple, and enjoy watching “The Colors” or the view of the sunset from their sunroom or back deck.
Charles was athletic. A high school football player, later in life he took up running, biking, and while in Australia developed a deep love for the game of tennis. He played many games on the court within walking distance of his house.
Beginning with his post doc work in Australia, Charles developed a love of travel and seeing the cultures – and wines – of the world. His New Mexican home was filled with Aboriginal artwork. He loved to tell the story of drinking Kava with his Fuijian hosts on a layover flying back to the US. The family of three enjoyed many trips together, including England, Australia, Austria, and the Czech Republic – during which Charles smiled with delight to see a street with the same name as his mother, “Milady.” At the end of 2019, Charles, Doris, Julia, and Julia’s husband Ben traveled to Iceland together and did the entire ring road around the island.
Charles’ biggest joy in life was to watch his daughter grow and learn, see her create an adult life and profession. Charles had a few tough years at the end, beginning with a diagnosis of dementia. He spent the last two years of his life in a memory care facility in Oakland, CA, where Julia lives. Doris, Julia, Ben, and Charles’ grandson Maris were able to visit frequently. Despite the growing devastation of the disease, Charles’ sense of wonder remained – he marveled at Maris, and got to see him grow teeth, learn to walk, and become an energetic toddler who would bring a smile to all at his Oakland home.
Charles was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Kathleen. He is survived by his wife Doris, his daughter Julia, son-in-law Benjamin, his grandson Maris, brothers Lee and Harold, and extended family.
Charles requested cremation and his ashes to be spread in Northern New Mexico. A gathering in his memory will take place on October 18, 2025 in Los Alamos, NM. The family wishes to thank everyone for the support provided to Charles and the family during his last years, especially those who visited him in his Oakland home; and while in White Rock, his friends who took him out for adventures and visited him for lively chats. Donations in Charles’s memory can be made to Doctors Without Borders or Save The Children.