John Lawrence Holmes, 82, of rural Urbana, Indiana passed away Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 6:50 p.m., at Parkview Regional Hospital in Fort Wayne. John was born October 16. 1937 in Brockton, Massachusetts to Edmund and Anne Theresa (Kelley) Holmes. He married Sue Heflin in 1974; she survives.
The family relocated to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and John graduated from Pawtucket Vocational High School. He attended Brown University and Roger Williams University before going on to be a mechanical engineer who worked for several companies throughout Rhode Island. He resided in Scituate, Rhode Island before retiring to Urbana, Indiana. John was a 4-H volunteer and served on the 4-H Foundation board in Rhode Island. He was affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Church in Providence, Rhode Island. John enjoyed trout fishing, sharpening knives, motorcycle riding, folk music, playing Hi-Lo Jack, Mahjong, fluffernutters, and sitting on his patio, overlooking the pond he and his wife talked about years before it was built.
John is survived by his wife Sue Holmes of Urbana, five children Donna (Craig) Freeman of Scituate, Rhode Island, Kelley Holmes of Austin, Texas, David Holmes of Seattle, Washington, Meghan (Jesse Koslow) Holmes, of Urbana, and Michaela (Aaron) Ware of Coventry, Rhode Island as well as four grandchildren, Ryan and Matthew Freeman and Moira and Sally Ware, and his brother, Bob (Denese) Holmes, of Glocester, Rhode Island. John is predeceased by his sister, Sally Ellis and his favorite beagle, Riley.
A service will be scheduled when gathering restrictions are lifted. Grandstaff-Hentgen Funeral Service of Wabash is handling the arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the 4-H Foundation Rhode Island, PO Box 1925, Kingston, RI 02881.