Mr. Richard Howard “Rick” Holley, 80, passed away at his home in Hallwood on Saturday, May 11, 2024, surrounded by his family. Born Nov. 24, 1943, in Washington, D.C., and raised in Arlington, he was the son of the late Howard Raymond Holley and the late Mary Wilda Holley.
A graduate of Wakefield High School in Arlington, class of 1961, Rick continued his education at North Carolina State University. In 1965, he received his bachelor’s degree, and in 1969, culminated his post graduate studies, earning his Ph.D., followed by a post-doctoral year at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland.
He spent the majority of his career as a chemical engineer with Milliken & Company. Rick was an Episcopalian and longtime member of the Eastern Shore Chapel in Virginia Beach. He was also a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity, the Wolfpack Club of NC State University, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the NC State University College of Natural Resources, the National Federation of the Blind, and the Choroideremia Research Foundation.
Rick is survived by his wife, Pamela Spencer “Pam” Holley; children, Jeff Holley and his wife, Denyce, Kaz Holley and his wife, Shannon, and Kama Shaw and her husband, Jim; sister, Barbara Ann McFadden and her husband, M. Scott; and grandchildren, Tyler, Chase, Laurel, Zane, Gabriel, and Addison.
A service in celebration of Rick’s life will be held at a later date. Should friends desire, donation in his memory may be made to the Choroideremia Research Foundation, 23 E. Brundreth St., Springfield, MA 01109, https://curechm.salsalabs.org/donate
Memory tributes may be shared with the family at
www.williamsfuneralhomes.com
Arrangements are by the Williams-Parksley Funeral Home.
