Patricia Kathleen Holliday Jordan Dies May 26

Patricia Kathleen Holliday Jordan died from cardiac arrest on May 26, 2019. She was 79.

Mrs. Jordan, known to friends and family as “Patti,” was born Nov. 11, 1939, in Anderson, South Carolina, to Ralph Hall Holliday and Eunice Heller Holliday. She spent her adult life in New York City, Quogue and St. Simons Island, Georgia.

In 1970, she accepted a temporary position at Lehman Brothers, where she quickly realized that her future lay on Wall Street and became a key contributor to the firm. Possessed of a tireless work ethic, drive for success and a keen wit and intellect, she advanced from her temporary job and, despite being one of few women at Lehman, rose through the ranks of the firm’s investment banking division, working alongside the partners. In the mid-1970s, she met her late husband, Lee Augustus Jordan, an announcer at CBS, in a chance encounter at the Scandinavian Ski Shop on East 57th Street, when Lee overheard the accent of a fellow Georgia native. He was immediately captivated by her unique combination of Southern belle charm and New York no-nonsense determination. They started coming to the East End in the mid-1970s, taking a group house on Beach Lane in Westhampton. In 1978, their daughter Holly was born, and weeks later they bought their house in Quogue.

In 1985, at the request of a former Lehman colleague, Mrs. Jordan joined the founding team of the then-new investment bank Needham & Co. At Needham, she started the Corporate Services division, managing investment accounts for shareholders of the firm and private clients. She retired from Needham & Co. in 2004 as senior vice president for Corporate Services. She and her late husband then returned to Georgia, where she owned and managed Jordan Farms, a tree farm in Hawkinsville. She moved to St. Simons Island nine years after her husband’s death and created a new life with old friends from high school and new ones from her many social groups and activities.

Mrs. Jordan was renowned among friends and family for her boundless energy, sharp mind, nurturing disposition, deep commitment to calling out injustice, loving advice (delivered with a trademark directness), grounded judgment, fierce determination and her remarkably broad talents and interests. When seeing someone in need of care or assistance, she always tried to help with a hands-on approach. Vibrant to her last breath, she remained highly active in the communities of St. Simons Island, New York City, and Quogue. In the St. Simons Island area, she was an active member of the Cassina Garden Club, the Golden Isles Duplicate Bridge Club, St. Simons Presbyterian Church and the Newcomer’s Club; she was also a donor to and volunteer at Safe Harbor Children’s Center. In New York, she was a member of the Cosmopolitan Club, the Quogue Field Club and the Quogue Beach Club. She particularly loved the Quogue Library, local farms, and the feeling of community on the East End.

She was also active in politics as a lifelong Democrat, volunteering extensively for the Carter campaign in 1976, and co-founding Women’s Voices of Glynn County following the election of 2016.

She was often found taking walks on East Beach on St. Simons Island and on the Quogue beach with her daughter. She filled her retirement days gardening, antiquing, attending the Philharmonic and theater, visiting museums, reading, playing bridge, rooting for the Yankees and the Georgia Bulldogs, and following the stock market, as well as enjoying her many social activities. She steadfastly followed the news and relished thoughtful conversation on world events. She had a vibrant curiosity which took her around the world in her travels and was due to leave for a two-week trip to Israel and Jordan with her church group on the day she died.

Mrs. Jordan is survived by her daughter, Holly Jordan (Peter Bonney) of New York City and Quogue; her nieces, Christie Holliday and Beverly Holliday Price; and sister-in law, Dorothy Holliday. She was predeceased by her brother, Ralph Heller “Jacky” Holliday in 2018; and her husband, Lee Augustus Jordan in 2005.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Edo Miller Funeral Home in Brunswick, Georgia. A funeral service took place at St. Simons Presbyterian Church. A memorial service will be held in Quogue at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made to Safe Harbor Children’s Center, 1526 Norwich St, Brunswick, GA 31520.