Longtime Siesta Key resident Scottie Holliday dies at 84

Longtime Siesta Key resident Norlen Gaile Asbury Holliday, known to most as “Scottie,” died Dec. 29 after a short illness. She was 84.

Holliday’s legacy is in her unwavering graciousness, her love of the water and her ability to make everyone feel like they were part of her family.

She and her late husband, James “Jim” Holliday, an architect, moved to Siesta Key in 1960, after Scottie Holliday graduated from Duke University.

The couple had three children who grew up on Siesta Key, and Scottie Holliday created a life for them full of social gatherings and time spent on and in the water, at a time when there was little to do on a relatively undeveloped Siesta Key.

Her son Michael Holliday, now an architect in Santa Barbara, Calif., remembers the way his mother made their home on Siesta Key the place for her kids and all their friends to hang out, in the 1970s and 1980s.

“I think she loved the camaraderie,” Michael Holliday said.  

The entire neighborhood was invited to the frequent parties at the Holliday house, where Scottie Holliday’s hospitality fostered a sense of community. Once, a party featured a bathtub full of baby sea turtles that were rescued and set to be released into the water after the party.

“She enjoyed it, which is why she has so many of my friends that know her almost better than they know their own parents,” said her other son Craig Holliday, a general contractor in Sarasota.

Scottie and Jim Holliday were married for 30 years, before he died in 1985.

“She lived two full lives,” Craig Holliday said. One with Jim, and one with her next partner, Dr. Dana King, with whom she spent 31 years and who died in August.

The couple enjoyed sailing to the Bahamas, Florida Keys and Berry Islands on their sloop, Blue Yonder.

Scottie Holliday loved swimming. She was a Masters Swimming Champion who set meet records in the backstroke and freestyle divisions. She trained for the Olympics in college, and was ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. National Masters in 1974.

“The water is where she was happiest,” Craig Holliday said. “My happiest and fondest memory (of my mom) was three weeks ago. It was a little warmer and I got her into the pool. Seeing her face light up as she’s swimming around in the pool — it was almost like she was all back together.”

Family friend John Patterson, a Sarasota lawyer, said her family brought her the most joy.

“She was really proud of her family,” he said. “They just had that kind of wonderful family relationship — it made you feel good just to be a little part of it.”

Scottie Holliday is survived by her three children: Michael and wife Beverly, with grandchildren Erik and wife Jillian, Neil and Russell; Craig and wife Lisa, with granddaughter Gabrielle; daughter Suzanne and husband Andy, in Gainesville, with grandchildren Christine, Daniel, Matthew, Madeline and Caleb. She is also survived by her brother, Guy Asbury of Sarasota.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Siesta Key Chapel, where Scottie and Jim Holliday were founding members, or Tidewell Hospice.

A celebration of Holliday’s life will be held at Siesta Key Chapel at a date to be determined.