Jack Mitchell Holliday II had a passion for language that he used as a congressional press secretary, a freelance writer and a copywriter at The Dallas Morning News.

Along the way, he created many lasting friendships.

Holliday, 56, died June 11 of complications of cancer at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.

A celebration of his life will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Kessler Park United Methodist Church.

“He just really liked writing,” said his wife, Cheryl Kellis of Dallas.

A linguist who appreciated grammar, Holliday would proofread most anything he came across, including brochures and menus.

Holliday was a wordsmith and a fine editor, said former coworker and longtime friend Jeanette Prasifka, a former reference researcher at The News.

“If you put anything written in front of him, he would pretty much slice and dice it,” Prasifka said. “He would say, this is wrong, this is wrong, it should have been done like this. He was just very, very good at it.”

Holliday also had a dry sense of humor and loved making puns, Kellis said.

Born in Milwaukee, Holliday grew up in Farmers Branch. He was a 1975 graduate of R.L. Turner High School in Carrollton. In 1980, he received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Southern Methodist University.

He became interested in politics while working on U.S. Rep. Bob Krueger’s unsuccessful bid to replace U.S. Sen. John Tower in 1978.

Holliday made contacts that led to Washington D.C., where he started his career as a press secretary for Rep. Beverly Byron of Maryland.

“He was a lot of fun,” said Brent Ayer of Frederick, Md., a friend and collegaue from Holliday’s time in Washington. “Everything he did, he did very hard. He worked hard, he played hard. He was definitely an all-in kind of guy.”

Holliday was later press secretary for Rep. Henson Moore and Rep. Billy Tauzin, both Louisiana Democrats who became Republicans.

In 1995, Holliday returned to Dallas to care for his aging parents. He started a freelance business, Holliday Writing Consulting.

Holliday joined The News in June 1997 as a copywriter in the marketing department. He was promoted to be college sales manager in the circulation department in 1999, and educational circulation sales manager in 2001. He left the newspaper in November 2004.

He wrote several guest columns during his employment at The News.

An only child, Holliday developed lasting, sometimes family-like relationships with his newspaper colleagues, Prasifka said. He played on softball teams at The News.

Holliday returned to freelance writing for two years after he left The News.

In 2006, he joined the sales force at Calyx Software, where he was promoted to sales team coordinator in 2009 and marketing manager in 2012.

In April, pain in Holliday’s hip was found to be lung cancer that had metastasized to bone and brain cancer. The cancers responded to chemotherapy and he received a good report on May 29.

“I was so happy I cried,” Kellis said.

But a week later, Holliday began bleeding from the rigors his various treatments. He learned that emergency surgery was necessary. The procedure and recovery were going to be painful, and likely to add six to eight months to his life.

“Jack said, ‘I don’t want to do it,’ ” his wife said.

Holliday is survived by his wife.

Memorials may be made to Operation Kindness

The Dallas Morning News - July 5, 2014
Submitted by Shawn Sutherland