James "Jim" Stanley Holtaway

James (Jim) Stanley Holtaway, born July 9, 1940, of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina died on June 29, 2024.

Jim is survived by his wife Deneith Wilson Holtaway; his three children Leslie Holtaway of Fairfax, VA, Stephanie Joos of Austin, TX and Jonathan Holtaway of Vienna, VA; his son-in-law Don Joos; his daughter-in-law Tara Holtaway; and his two brothers, Tom Holtaway of Rio Rancho, NM and John Holtaway of Geneva, IL.  Jim and Dene have nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Born in Elizabeth, NJ to James Stanislaus Holtaway and Veronica Ender Holtaway, Jim grew up in New Jersey and Illinois.  He enlisted in the US Air Force after his high school graduation in 1958 and became a radar and electronics specialist working on B-47s.  Upon his discharge, he attended the University of Illinois and Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in secondary education in social studies. 

Jim and Dene met at the University of Illinois. They started their married life together in August of 1963 and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2023.

The decision to work for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) pulled Jim and Dene to multiple countries in Africa and the Caribbean.  Their early years during which their three children were born included two postings to Tunisia, where they would meet many dear and lifelong friends.  The family’s second international posting was three years in Khartoum, the Sudan after which Jim completed a one-year Fellowship at Harvard University.

While serving in Washington in the early 1980s, Jim became heavily involved in the civil projects required to rebuild Grenada after the United States invasion in 1983.  This eventually led to his appointment as Director of Caribbean affairs and a four-year posting in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Following his post in Barbados, Jim accepted a Fellowship and then a posting as a professor at the National War College in Washington D.C.  Initially an International Economics specialist, Jim was a popular seminar leader and eventually taught several courses in a variety of subjects to the top military ranks, many of whom became the future leaders of the armed forces. It combined Jim’s love and respect for the military with his professional expertise and he absolutely loved those years.

With more than enough years of government service, Jim retired at 52, one year after he bought two dream purchases, a 42-foot trawler called Blue Rock, and a beautiful lagoon lot on Hilton Head Island, SC.  For three years, Jim and Dene lived with their dog Waverly on Blue Rock year-round in Gangplank Marina on Water Street in Washington D.C., right down the river from the National War College, where he worked. After completion of their new home, Jim and Dene moved to Hilton Head permanently in 1997.

Jim was an active retiree and while he could still play tennis, he captained his tennis team to win the southeast regionals and within one set of a National Championship for his USTA division, a failure that he accepted with grace, but it always rankled him a little.  He loved his boat, which was kept at Windmill Harbor and he could be found sitting on board enjoying the breeze and talking with his fellow boaters. He also owned multiple RVs during his life and while he loved the outdoors, he expected his comfort to be nearby.

Everyone who knew Jim knew that the grandkids were his passion.  He purchased so many electric scooters, electric cars and go-karts for his grandkids that his community eventually outlawed them, but they waited for Jim’s grandkids to grow up first. The neighborhood always knew when the grandkids were in town with the laughing, splashing and yelling around the pool and multiple fishing rods posed along the lagoon shore. For over twenty years, Papa had two steadfast holiday traditions; Santa, which dutifully recorded each grandchild’s height each year, and the kid size train that eventually had to move from around the tree to outside because there were so many grandkids inside.

Never one to miss a gathering, Jim held happy hours on most days in his front yard and was always ready with his three garage fridges packed full of hors d'oeuvres and drinks, appropriate for any age or preference. Good friends and good conversation extended the happy hours well into the cold months thanks to his extensive collection of heaters.

We could not have asked for a more loving Dad, Papa and Great Grandpa. He will be missed, and his love will always be carried in our hearts.