HOLMES, John Wendell 1945-2019

HOLMES

Posted By: K. L. Kittleson
Date: 10/22/2019 at 13:47:58

Biography

John Wendell Holmes believed that words matter for they are the tools of thought. And so, in his honor, his family is going to make the most of these. One of John’s favorite things to do was study a subject by reading everything he could get his hands on. It made him a very good lawyer and in his later years, a very loyal Amazon Prime customer. John loved books and believed reading fiction was a waste of time because “there’s too much interesting non-fiction in the world.”

The real-life story of John began in Washington, D.C. on July 22, 1945, when he was born to his parents Geanette and Wendell Holmes. The family later moved to Waterloo, and John grew up in Highland Park, graduating from East High School in 1963. During his high school years, John used money from his paper route to buy car parts until he was eventually able to build his own roadster from scratch. When it was complete, he applied for and was issued a new title by the State of Iowa. When they asked the make and model at the Treasurer’s office, he replied, “It’s a 1962 Holmes Roadster.”

John drove many cars over the years for he loved them almost as much as he loved books. His last car was a Porsche Cayenne that he enjoyed occasionally letting loose on the highway. But more than cars and even books, John loved his family with all of his heart and soul.

He met his wife Joanie in San Diego after serving as a Supply Corps Officer in Vietnam. The two married in her hometown of Kearney, Arizona and drove Joanie’s ’67 turquoise Mustang (“Trudy”) to the University of Iowa where John attended law school. After graduating, he went into practice with his father at Beecher, Beecher, Holmes and Rathert, and later, John and his dad opened their own firm, Holmes & Holmes.

In addition to his Joaniebug, the other two loves of John’s life were his children, Shelley and Michael. Under his constant love and support, Shelley and Michael believed from an early age they could do anything they set their minds to do. Both now writers, they are setting their minds to keeping their dad’s story alive.

In addition to his wife Joanie, his daughter Shelley and his son Michael, John is also survived by his brother Stephen Holmes and his family; his beloved son-in-law James “Matte” Elkins and daughter-in-law Stacy Holmes; and his two grandchildren Lincoln and Madeline Elkins who loved their Grandpa John dearly.

John’s family will hold a private burial on Tuesday arranged via Locke Funeral Services. They warmly welcome anyone who knew and loved John to join them on Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. for a celebration of his life at the Waterloo Public Library. It will include a little music (especially Johnny Cash) and a lot of memories.

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Services:
Celebration of life gathering: 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at the Waterloo Public Library, 415 Commercial Street, Waterloo, Iowa 50701

Cemetery:
Private family burial in Fairview Cemetery, Cedar Falls

Memorials:
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in John’s name to the Waterloo Public Library so that others may share in one of his favorite things — words.

SOURCE: Locke Funeral Service