Joseph Holliday Obituary

Joseph William Fields Holliday MYRTLE BEACH, - Joseph William Fields Holliday (Billy) died peacefully in Myrtle Beach surrounded by loved ones on December 27, 2021 from complications resulting from Parkinson's Disease. He was born in Mullins, South Carolina, to Frances Fields Holliday and Joseph William Holliday of Galivants Ferry, South Carolina, where Billy spent his childhood. He graduated from The Asheville School and Washington and Lee University. A member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Billy was described as "the most famous college student in the South," and told many stories over the years to support this claim. He later earned a graduate degree from Holy Names College and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from The Union Institute Graduate School. In the early 2000s, he was on the faculty of the Washington and Lee University Summer Scholars program. Billy was a scholar, thinker, cinephile, and historian. He was an eager storyteller with a sense of humor that made everyone-including himself-howl with laughter. He enjoyed tennis, writing, and playing the harmonica and piano. Over the years, he read and collected many, many books. Billy was proud of his Galivants Ferry roots and was a partner in his family's farming and timber business. He enjoyed being a part of the Holliday-sponsored Galivants Ferry Stump Speaking, a long-standing political tradition that dates back to 1876. As a passionate supporter of land conservation and animal rights, Billy was appointed to the South Carolina Agricultural Commission by Governor Carroll Campbell in 1989. He represented Horry and Georgetown counties until 1999 and helped establish the toughest legislation on factory farming in the nation, protecting the ecosystem for the future of the state. In 2019, he was recognized by the Conservation Voters of South Carolina with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He served as Chairman of the Horry County Historical Society, supported scholarship programs for Coastal Carolina University, sponsored ecological exhibits at schools and universities, and promoted ecological philosophy and activism. He was also awarded The Catherine H. Lewis Horry County History Prize for his ten-year project focused on the oral history of the area from the 1880s-1890s. Billy was also a member of the Huguenot Society and The Society of First Families of South Carolina. Billy enjoyed spending time in Morehead and Cashiers, North Carolina; New York, and Palm Beach. He will be remembered as a supportive friend and mentor who respected history and tradition while remaining mindful of the future. Billy is survived by his devoted wife, Harriet Broughton Holliday, their daughter, Hattie Wooten Cooper Gruber of New York, New York; his brother, Judson Johnson Holliday and his wife, Cheryl, of Galivants Ferry, South Carolina. He is also survived by his niece, Frances Fields McLeod, of Florence, South Carolina and nephews, Joseph W. Holliday and J. Johnson Holliday, of Galivants Ferry, South Carolina. He was predeceased by his dear sister, Betty Tull Holliday McLeod. A graveside memorial service will be held at noon on Sunday, January 16, 2022, at Rose Hill Cemetery in Marion, South Carolina. Memorial contributions may be made to the Pee Dee Land Trust at www.peedeelandtrust.org or P.O. Box 2134, Florence, South Carolina, 29503; or Defenders of Wildlife at defenders.org. The Holliday family would like to express their thanks to all the loving caregivers, especially Mary Jane Tindall, and to Dr. Dean Smith and all the nurses, doctors, and staff of the Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach; Regency SouthernCare Hospice Services; Dr. Vicki Shanker of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York for her top-notch Parkinson's care over the years; and the team at The Emory University Merrie Boone Comprehensive Care Clinic for Parkinson's Disease, led by Dr. Stewart Factor in Atlanta. An online guestbook is available at www.msfh.net. Visit our guestbook at legacy.com/obituaries/charleston