James Holmes

JAMES HOLMES

Iowa City

James T. Holmes died March 21, 2014, at home in Iowa City. He was 89. The cause was colon cancer. There will be a private funeral service at Oak Hill Cemetery in Cedar Rapids. Arrangements are through Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service.

James Theodore Holmes was born Oct. 11, 1924, in Cedar Rapids, the son of G. Stewart Holmes and Josephine Scarff Holmes. He graduated from Franklin High School in Cedar Rapids in 1942. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces and served as a radio mechanic. He graduated from Harvard College in 1948. He earned his law degree from Duke University in 1951. He married the former Nancy Janet Bower on June 23, 1951, in Winnetka, Ill. He practiced law in Cedar Rapids for 58 years, first in partnership with his father, then solo, and then in partnership with his youngest son.

Surviving are his wife, Nancy; four children, Stewart of Snowmass, Colo., Bill (Michelle) of Breckenridge, Colo., Josie of Iowa City and Jim (Jill) of Cedar Rapids; and eight grandchildren, Michael Holmes of Aspen, Matt Holmes of Snowmass, James Holmes of Breckenridge, Macaela Holmes-Fuller of Iowa City, Lindsay Kaiser of Waverly, Ted Schmidt of Iowa City, Tom Holmes of Cedar Rapids and Peter Holmes, also of Cedar Rapids.

Also surviving are his nephew, Mark Holmes of Egremont, Mass.; and his nieces, Meredith Hubel of Falls Church, Va., and Laurie Mehalic of Washington, D.C.

His older brother, G. William Holmes, died in 1970.

Jim enjoyed getting away to his family's cottage in Michigan, where he enjoyed tending to his arboretum. He happened upon Gulf Shores while on spring break with his family in 1968 and he returned there regularly with his family up through 2013. Jim was a student of history and geography with a keen interest in the Civil War, and on family road trips he always had at least one diversion arranged to a sight related to his research at hand. The main quality that made Jim an exceptional husband, father, grandfather and friend is simply that he was a fun person to spend time with.

Friends may, if they wish, make a contribution to the University of Iowa Foundation for the Main Library, PO Box 1550, Iowa City, IA 52246, or to Iowa City Hospice, 1025 Wade St. Iowa City, IA 52240.