Mary Pamela Hollings McConnell

Mary Pamela (“Pam”) Hollings McConnell made her final transition peacefully at home with loved ones on August 17, 2024, after a six-year battle with breast cancer. 

 Pam was born on April 15, 1954 in Charleston to Mary Bertram and Robert Meyer Hollings. She was the youngest of four children: Peter, Julie, and the late Robbie. Pam grew up in Charleston during a time when neighborhood children would see how far they could get by running across the tops of garden walls. She attended Charleston Day and Ashley Hall.

 Pam was profoundly kind and passionate about beauty in the world. She was an artist and majored in Art History at Mary Baldwin College. She cared deeply about learning and preserving history, working as the first licensed female carriage tour guide in Charleston and securing her first job out of college with Lee Adler at Savannah Landmark to preserve historic downtown. She served as a departmental assistant and grants consultant while she got her Master’s degree in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Florida.

Pam met the love of her life and partner of almost fifty years, Bright, during her junior year exchange at Davidson College when she was just twenty years old. They shared a decade together traveling, hiking, and living in Georgia, Florida, and California before becoming parents and moving back to Charleston to be close to family. The same year, they purchased land near the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge, which they have spent the past four decades shaping and stewarding. They built a beautiful eco-tourism lodge that Pam operated, the Lodge at Lofton's Landing, which has been their full-time home for the past twenty years.

There was not much Pam couldn’t do: she acted as a general contractor, was a skillful printmaker, potter, and mosaicist, Master Gardener, PADI Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver, President of the PTA, wildlife rehabilitator, member of the Junior League, and founder of her own artichoke relish company (Cape Romain Food Specialties). Pam renovated and built multiple homes, which she decorated beautifully with antiques she restored and art she collected. She was very proud to have been filmed for Antiques Roadshow. She was active in establishing conservation easements to preserve the natural beauty of the lowcountry and served on the board of the Coastal Conservation League. Later in life, she was the Office Manager for Bright’s orthopedic practice; patients loved that she brought the family dogs to work and sold farm fresh eggs from the front desk. She was the longest-serving President of the McClellanville Arts Council’s Board for the past 15 years and worked tirelessly to increase community access to the arts.

 Pam raised three children, Elizabeth (“Liz”), Bright IV, and Ian, with incredible warmth, gentleness, patience, and wonder. She spent 16 months being the most loving “Pamma” to her grandson, River, and was delighted to have her children and grandchild return to Lofton’s during her final year of life.

 Pam was down-to-earth, radiant, inclusive, irreverent, creative, strong, graceful, hardworking, smart, giving, and, above all, kind. She will be dearly missed.

A celebration of Pam’s life will be held on Saturday, August 31 at 11 am at Circular Congregational Church, with reception to follow. For those unable to attend the service in-person, a livestream will be offered here: tinyurl.com/PamService. 

 In lieu of flowers, we ask you to share stories and memories of Pam here: tinyurl.com/HonoringPam and/or donate to the Pam Hollings McConnell Scholarship Fund at the McClellanville Arts Council here: mcclellanvilleartscouncil.com.

A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.