Josephine W. Holliday

Josephine Wadlington Holliday passed away in Bethesda Maryland on June 3, 2025. Josephine (Mary Jo) was born in Conroe, Texas on October 13, 1935, to Albert Sawyers Wadlington and Mildred Laird Wadlington. She spent her childhood in Luling, Texas where her father was an executive with Humble Oil and was graduated from Luling High School before matriculating to the University of Texas at Austin where she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority.

Josephine was an excellent student graduating with honors from both high school and university and an accomplished musician who played both Cello and Piano and was a majorette in the marching band. For her beauty and talent, she was elected “Watermelon Thump Princess” of Luling, Texas.

At University of Texas, she met and then married Robert W. Holliday then in Law School and accompanied him to Yale University for graduate school where she taught English in a local school. As a diplomatic spouse, Josephine lived in Martinique, Malawi, Marseilles and Paris where she played a key role in supporting the Embassies and entertaining dignitaries, journalists, and visiting US officials.

Upon returning to the United States in the 1970s, Josephine became a successful real estate broker starting with Begg and Co, then moving to MGMB which was acquired by Randall Hagner. A long-time resident of Northwest Washington, Josephine had an eclectic and accomplished group of close friends including many in the literary, journalism and fashion worlds. She was known for designing and creating many of her own dresses and gowns on her beloved antique Singer sewing machine and was an expert on couture and fabrics. She was extremely knowledgeable about history and art and particularly the Renaissance. She loved watching BBC shows ranging from Masterpiece Theatre and Civilization to Monty Python and Hercule Poirot.

Josephine had friends of all ages many of whom looked to her for advice and counsel and occasionally a bit of biting social commentary. Her passions were the Wagner Society, Bridge and her Episcopal and Anglican Churches. She was deeply interested in the nexus of theology and history and was widely read of both subjects.

She had two Sons, Robert Winslow Holliday Jr. (Kalen) of Sleepy Hollow, New York and Stuart Wadlington Holliday (Gwen) of Washington, DC. Josephine was the proud grandmother (Grande Mere) of Pierson, Henry, Skylar and Campbell Holliday.

Her favorite saying was appropriately “Onward and Upward!”

In lieu of flowers a contribution may be made to The Society for the Preservation of the Book of Common Prayer, 1 West Macon St. Savanah, GA 31401.