Carolyn Leckie Holt

Known for her inquisitive nature, openness to and acceptance of varying points of view, and a no-nonsense attitude, as well as her Scottish shortbread, Carolyn will be dearly missed by all who knew her. Carolyn’s family asks that she be remembered for the joy she brought to others in life and not the sadness of her passing. She is survived by sons Eric and Kevin, daughter-in-law Lucian, granddaughter Julianne as well as brother Richard Upsher Smith, Jr. and sister Nancy Smith Brooks. She was predeceased by David Faulcon Holt, her husband of 45 years, as well as her parents Richard Upsher Smith, Agnes Stuart Newmyer Smith, infant sister Linda, and stepmother Ruth Eadie Smith.

Carolyn was born in Flint, Michigan, in 1941, and moved around a lot with her father, an Episcopal priest, first to Detroit, after the death in 1945 of her mother and sister, where her father remarried and the Eadie family became hers as well; then to Hanford, CA; and later to Hawaii when it was still a territory. She had fondest memories of life there and experienced a shock when the family moved to cold Greenwich, CT. She later attended the women’s college Bryn Mawr where she REALLY got the idea that women can do and be anything to which they set their minds, and that they can and should think for themselves, and don’t have to go by anybody else’s ideas of who they should be. As a social worker both in her first profession and at her core throughout her life, Carolyn observed with her eyes and her heart to help others create improvements in their lives in ways that are meaningful to them. Carolyn and David became involved in Scientology, first in New York City then in Los Angeles, to learn tools and information to help others improve their conditions in life and relationships. Likewise, the commandment “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” was ingrained in her and guided her through life.

From her time in Hawai’i onward, Carolyn was always intrigued by things outside her personal experience, and she was a voracious reader, interested in exploring differences in cultures and perspectives. She loved to be a cross-pollinator of ideas, traditions and beliefs.

She lived and worked in Boston (on a bookmobile “peddling culture”), Newark, NJ (at a foster home for girls that led to her vocation of social work), New York (earning an MSW from NYU’s Graduate School of Social Work then working at St. Luke’s Hospital and other places), and Los Angeles (practicing geriatric social work and beginning her second career in bookkeeping, tax preparation and payroll services) before moving to Columbia, SC in 2013 to be near her elder son and his family, after the passing of David, whom she mourned deeply and missed daily.

Groups that were important to Carolyn include the St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church community, Together Women Rise (formerly Dining for Women), the Robert Burns Society, the Shepherd’s Center, the Lourie Center, the FriendShip, New Era Seniors, the Episcopal Church, the Church of Scientology, and Interfaith Partners of South Carolina.

A funeral ceremony will be held at St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church in Columbia, SC at 11am on Friday, May 9, 2025, with a reception to joyously celebrate her life to follow. Colorful attire appropriate.

Memorial donations in Carolyn’s name may be made to the Arbor Day Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, the League of Women Voters, Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church, Together Women Rise, the Animal Mission or other charitable organization.

Memories and condolences may be shared here: https://neptunesociety.com/obituaries/charlotte-nc/carolyn-holt-12259966