Julia Holmes

James Sikes Funeral HomeMaddox Chapel4278 Lafayette StreetMarianna, Fl 32446850.482.2332http://www.jamesandsikesfuneralhomes.com/ Julia Vanno Holmes was born in Dillonville, Ohio, on July 15, 1923, to parents who came to this Country from Hungary seeking a better life. She was one of four children in the family, all of whom were raised in a home where hard work was a way of life. Her father worked as a coal miner from the time he was a pre-teen until he was in his mid-50s and her mother supplemented the family income by cooking and cleaning for boarders to whom Julias family rented rooms. Even as a child, Julia was known for her compassion for all living things and a truly sweet and giving disposition. After graduating from high school, Julia attended and graduated from Roanoke Business College a feat which was not as common for women then as college graduation is now. After graduation, Julia lived and worked in Washington , D.C., and Corpus Christi, Texas, until World War II ended when she married a young Navy pilot named Ed Holmes, to whom she remained married for 54 years until his death in 2004. Julia and Ed ultimately settled in Marianna, Fl., where they raised their two children, Dianne and Donald, and where Julia was employed with what was then known as the West Florida Telephone Company for over 23 years, and Ed worked as a flight instructor at Graham Air Force Base until its closure when he found employment as a pilot with the State of Florida. While Julia worked outside the home to provide needed income to help support her family, the best work she performed was in the home where she was the proverbial glue that kept her family together and where she placed the interest of every member of her family above her own. She never lost the genuine compassion that she held as a child for all living things, or the sweet and giving disposition that made her a valued friend to those who knew her and a pleasant and positive experience to those with whom she came into contact. Julia was a devoted and steadfast mother, wife, sister, daughter and friend to those in her life. She served in all of these roles in a manner that would be hard to equal. Julia was preceded in death by her parents, William and MaryVanno; her husband, Edward A. Holmes; her brother, Bill Vanno; and her sister Margaret Carter. She is survived by her son, Don Holmes; daughter, Dianne (Gary) Gish; grandchildren, Ashley Holmes, Julianne (George) Young, Justin Gish, Molly Gish; great grand-son, Jackson Wyatt Young; and sister Elizabeth (Dominic) Alecci. She will be greatly missed Funeral services will be Friday, May 2, 2014 at 11 a.m. at James Sikes Maddox Chapel with Dr. Ted Land officiating. Entombment will be in Chapel of The Pines Mausoleum at Pinecrest Memorial Gardens in Marianna. James Sikes Funeral Home Maddox Chapel will direct. The family will receive friends at 10 a.m., Friday, May 2, 2014 at James Sikes Maddox Chapel.