Paul Francis Hugo Holt died at his home in Old Lyme, CT, on June 18th at age 78. He was the only son of Henry and Clara Holt (née Purslow), born in London, UK in 1946. He is survived by his beloved wife of 44 years, Linda; daughters Nicki Brown (George) and Melissa Rowles (Terry), and son Andrew Holt (Mary Grace); and grandchildren Chelsey, Benji, Lily and Hugo.
His father’s family fled Germany in the 1930s; his mother was the daughter of a vaudeville actor from the British midlands who disappeared to America early in the century. They married during the war, and saw to it that he was educated at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys School in London. He matriculated at Christ’s College, Cambridge, where he received his BA and MA (Cantab) in History.
From Cambridge, he began a career in commercial banking at Citibank, Intermarine, and Marine Midland Bank in London and then New York, where he remained. He financed assets all over the world, traveling extensively and forging lifelong friendships at home in the US and UK, and abroad in continental Europe, Hong Kong, and Australia, among others. From Marine Midland, he became a partner at consultancy Greenwich Associates, and then went on to found Windsor Partners and ultimately, Cambridge International Partners, an M&A advisory partnership, from which he retired in 2011.
He was a keen sportsman throughout his life: an avid lifelong golfer and skier of the Alps, Rockies and the Green Mountains. He played rugby and cricket for Haberdashers’ and was selected to try for the England side at Lord’s Cricket Grounds. He played tennis and squash with gusto. He ran the Central Park reservoir virtually every morning for decades, and loved a good swim. His sporting exploits were fueled by another great enthusiasm: food. Be it a local sandwich shop or fine dining, he addressed every meal in his adult life as if he might never be fed again.
He loved travel, visiting every inhabited continent many times and occasionally campaigning for a family trek to the south pole. Golf trips, ski trips, road trips, safaris, river cruises, and so on provided a bottomless repertoire of stories. He was a great lover of the arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, jazz, chamber music, opera, and the theater; he also endured the ballet and occasionally a musical. He was dedicated to the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, serving as a trustee for many years. He was a prolific reader of history and prepared to hold court on any topic; right, wrong, or flagrantly invented, his view was presented with a conviction that usually forestalled argument. He was an equally dedicated compiler of histories: of his family, of the town of Old Lyme, and of his beloved Black Hall Golf Club.
He enjoyed a tremendous circle of close friends whose company invigorated him – always too many captains for one dinner table, and too few hours. He adored his family, each and every one, and was not afraid to show it. He made a great project of bringing the extended family together for Thanksgivings, a tradition that will continue this year. He will, above all, be profoundly missed.
A celebration of his life will be held in Old Lyme in due course. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Florence Griswold Museum (www.florencegriswold.org).
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