John Waldron Holaday

John Waldron Holaday, PhD, FACNP, FCCM Born June 9, 1945, John Holaday was a rare combination of many things -- a business man with the heart of a philanthropist; an activist; a man of deep passion and compassion; a scientist; a US Army Captain; a university professor; an entrepreneur; a founder and CEO of three public companies; a holder of over 80 patents; an acclaimed author of more than 230 articles and five books; a father; a husband; and a tireless champion of the underdog. When most people looked away, John Holaday looked ahead. Over the course of his career, he envisioned and brought to life products and therapies that directly lessened the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people. His tragic death as an innocent victim of gun violence on October 4, 2019 marked the untimely end of a life that still had so much to give to so many. John is survived by his loving wife of 27 years, Dori; their two sons, Sean and Jackson; his sister, Delaney Holaday Brandhorst; and many nieces and nephews. The positive and life-changing impact of John Holaday’s many contributions across the sciences and medicine will be felt for decades to come. As Chairman and CEO of numerous companies, he encouraged his employees to remember that the chief goal was to "do well by doing good” -- a simple credo that exemplified his unwavering devotion to excellence. Most recently he was Chairman, co-founder and CEO of DisposeRx, a company created to mitigate deaths from opioid abuse. That work led him to testify before Congress about prescription drug abuse last year, and to be invited to the White House when the President signed the Opioid Crisis Response Act into law. John Holaday was a humanitarian and one of this nation’s most accomplished entrepreneurs -- a man who motivated the people around him with his passion to make a difference. In one memorable circumstance, he had t-shirts made for his team bearing the Margaret Mead quote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” He was a visionary who served as a mentor to hundreds of scientists and executives – committed citizens – who will now carry on John’s legacy of passion and innovation in their own critical work to make a difference in the lives of others. Family and friends are invited to gather at Gawler’s Funeral Home, 5130 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington, DC, from 4pm-8pm on October 29th. A memorial service will be held on October 30th at 10am at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in John’s memory to the Davis Direction Foundation via mail at 32 N Fairground St. NE., Marietta, GA 30060 or online at www.davisdirection.com/support-us.