Hollister Douglas Houghton

AIKEN, SC - Holly Houghton, conservationist, philanthropist, and sportswoman, died peacefully in her home in Aiken, South Carolina, on April 27, 2019 after a battle with cancer. She was 74 years old. The daughter of the late Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., President of Steuben Glass, and the late Elizabeth Douglas McCall, a Manhattan socialite who championed educational and cultural causes, Holly grew up in New York City and on her father's country estate, Wye Plantation, in Maryland. She was a graduate of Saint Timothy’s School and Smith College, class of 1967. Holly was a talented woman whose humility, kindness, and quiet reserve belied her extraordinary accomplishments. She was a champion Sporting Clays enthusiast who competed nationally and internationally. She was a gifted equestrian who served as the Master of Foxhounds for the Aiken Hounds for over ten years and hunted in many of the storied hunts of Ireland, England, and France. She was an ardent fly fisherman who travelled all over Great Britain to fish for salmon, and a strong competitor on the golf course and tennis court as well. Holly was a woman of great intellectual curiosity who loved words and collected books. Particularly fond of literature and history (she studied Medieval History at Oxford), she was a voracious reader, often consuming five or six books a week and sharing her favorites with her friends. She enjoyed nothing more than reading a good book in front of the fire, snuggled up with her two cats Eenie and Allo. Holly was also an avid art collector and an accomplished artist and craftswoman. She was an expert at needlepoint, completing many pillows and rugs, and spent four years completing a large 8' x 10' rug that still graces her home. In recent years, Holly took up infrared photography, capturing images of local natural significance, as well as the sleepy villages on the coast of Scotland. She sold her photographs locally, donating the proceeds to her favorite charities. Holly loved to travel. Aside from her time spent in Great Britain and Europe fly-fishing, riding, shooting, and studying, she travelled to Scotland dozens of times in the past twenty years on challenging walking vacations. A favorite was the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides, where she and her friends endured the grueling walks over rough terrain in harsh weather to bask in the beauty of the island. She visited Islay close to twenty times over the past decade and participated in Walk Islay twelve times. At home in Aiken, Holly spent hours on long, daily treks through her beloved Hitchcock Woods in the company of friends and their canine companions. She was a devoted conservationist, supporting conservation initiatives locally and on the Edisto River. She preserved her former property adjacent to the Hitchcock Woods in perpetuity through the donation of a conservation easement to the Aiken Land Conservancy, where she served as a board member for over 10 years. Holly is credited with establishing her signature land conservancy fundraiser, Clays for Conservation, and co-sponsoring the organization's first office space on Park Avenue. Holly is survived by her sister, Mrs. Sylvia Garrett of Easton, Maryland, her brother Arthur A. Houghton, III, of New York City, and 14 nieces and nephews spanning three generations. At Holly's request, no services will be held. Memorial donations may be made in Holly's name to the Aiken Land Conservancy, P.O. Box 3096, Aiken, SC 29802, or the Hitchcock Woods Foundation, P.O. Box 1702, Aiken, SC 29802. SHELLHOUSE FUNERAL HOME, INC., 924 HAYNE AVE., AIKEN, SC 29801 To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Hollister Douglas Houghton, please visit our flower store.