Susan Holden

Susan Holden, 76, passed away on Thursday, September 1, 2022. A native of Los Angeles, CA, Susan was the oldest daughter of the late Welter “Budd” and Gloria Wolff Holden.

After graduating from Stanford University, Susan worked for a few years at the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills.

She loved to travel, got certified as a travel agent, and went to work at Gilner International Travels in Beverly Hills, eventually buying the business which she ran successfully for at least 35 years. One of her many specialties was organizing and leading tours for art museums and art lovers. Although she closed Gilner in 2006, she continued working full-time as a travel agent with Protravel International.

Family was very important to her, so in 2008, she moved to Asheville, NC, to be closer to her sister, Sandra.

She had a deep passion for art, theater, dance, good food and animal rescue. She was an avid and eclectic art collector, a patron of the Asheville Art Museum, the Diana Wortham Center for Performing Arts, Asheville Humane Society and numerous local artists.

Kind, loving, and generous to a fault, Susan leaves behind her sister, Sandra Holden and her vast network of colleagues and friends from coast-to-coast with whom she enjoyed working, dining, entertaining, and traveling.