Delaney "Laney" Holaday Brandhorst

Delaney “Laney” Holaday Brandhorst, 79, passed away peacefully and with dignity on August 20, 2026, in Wilmington, North Carolina, surrounded by her devoted son, James, and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, by her side.

Laney was born August 26, 1946, in Dunkirk, New York, to Beverly Eli Holaday and Alta Waldron Holaday. Her childhood took her to several places, including Knoxville, Tennessee, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As a young girl, she also spent a year living with her family in Marburg, Germany, following World War II, while her father was a professor of educational psychology at the University of Marburg. During that time, Laney became fluent in German, an early glimpse of the curiosity and remarkable range of interests that would characterize her life.

Laney went on to graduate from the University of Alabama with a Bachelors of Fine Arts. Her creativity was evident throughout her life and found expression both personally and professionally. Early in her career, she worked for General Electric, hand-drafting schematics prior to the advent of computer aided design. She later pursued work as an interior designer and was a prolific artist and portrait painter. Art was not simply something Laney studied or practiced; creativity was part of who she was and how she saw the world.

Those who knew Laney, however, will remember her for far more than her talents and accomplishments. She had a huge heart, an infectious sense of humor, and a genuine love for making other people happy. She was generous and selfless, finding joy in acts of service and in spending time with the people she loved. Friends and family could count on Laney to bring warmth, laughter, and a little more color wherever she went.

She loved animals, especially her beloved dog, Bodie-Bo, as well as painting, art, interior design, Alabama football, NASCAR, and time spent with friends on Wrightsville Beach. Some of the memories her family treasures most are also the simplest: the spontaneous bouts of laughter that could seemingly come from nowhere and leave everyone around her laughing, too.

Above all, Laney was most proud of her children and grandchildren. Her family was at the center of her life, and the love she had for them was palpable.

Laney was preceded in death by her parents, Beverly Eli Holaday and Alta Waldron Holaday; her sister, Julie Holaday; her brother, John Waldron Holaday; her husband, James F. Brandhorst Jr.; and her daughter, Julie Peake Hixon Wigley.

She is survived by her son, James F. Brandhorst III and his wife Elizabeth; her two grandchildren, William Stover Jr. and Evelyn Stover; her nephews Sean Holaday and Jackson Holaday and many lifelong friends.

A funeral service celebrating Laney’s life will be held Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at St. James Episcopal Parish, 25 S 3rd St, Wilmington, North Carolina 28401. A Committal in the St. Francis Memorial Garden will follow. After the committal, a reception will be held in Perry Hall.

In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made in Delaney Holaday Brandhorst's honor to the Julie Peake Holaday Memorial Endowed Scholarship at The University of Alabama. Gifts can be made online by clicking here, https://give.ua.edu/?d=4C9D5F41-25DF-43BF-9C70-335D709E19E0 or by mail to The University of Alabama Box 870268 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487.

Laney will be remembered for her generous heart, her creative spirit, her quick sense of humor, and the joy she found in making others happy. Most of all, she will be remembered for the love she gave so freely to her family and friends and for the laughter that so often came along with it.