After leaving office, Holshouser returned to the practice of law, splitting his time between firms in Boone and Southern Pines. In 1978 he moved to the latter town. He secured a pilot's license and flew a Cessna 172 between the two locales. He worked for several years as the official attorney of the Moore County Board of Commissioners. He was elected to the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina in 1979, and later served as a member emeritus. He also served on the Boards of St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg and Davidson College. Continuing to suffer kidney problems that were treated with dialysis, he underwent kidney transplantation in 1986. As a result, he gave his support to organ transplant organizations and served on the board of directors of the United Network for Organ Sharing.
