On June 5, 2021, JANET GAY HOLMES came to see me.
She had not been feeling well for a while.
-Her eyesight was getting worse from keeping an eye on her children, their children and their children for many, many years. She never saw anything or anyone that she could not help or fix.
-Her feet had gotten tired after jitterbugging for decades with her eternal partner, Ralph, chasing (grand and great grand) kids, pets and anything that tried to come between her and her family.
-Her oversized heart filled every room and occasion with love that spilled over to friends, neighbors, community, and all her extended
family related or not.
-She had a slight limp favoring her “West Side.” 1950 Graduate of her beloved Stonewall Jackson High School.
-Her hearing had started to fade a bit after listening to Ralph for over 60 years, all the cheers, fears and crying from the children that ran to her for comfort and resolution.
August 6, 1955 married her beloved Ralph W. Holmes.
-She had “Bleacher Butt” from watching her spouse, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and beloved Morris Harvey (UC) team’s sporting activities throughout the Kanawha Valley.
Also greatly contributing to this were the countless Sundays sitting in her family’s pew strengthening her faith through prayer and song at Emmanuel Baptist Church where she had been a member since March 28, 1948. When she was able to attend church recently, she could be found seated at Mount Calvary Baptist.
-Her sweet tooth was acting up. She loved her cookies, candy bars and milk shakes.
-Achy knees from carrying burdens and tribulations for close to 9 decades. She never complained or had a bad word for anybody. She just kept lifting the load.
-Her fingers were tired from cutting hair as her first profession and providing the first hair cut for each child, grandchild, and great grandchild. The Diamond Salon and Janet’s House of Beauty.
-Her back would ache off and on. She would get pulled and stretched thin by all of life’s comings and goings but somehow, she always stood tall, much taller than her 4 – and – a – half – foot frame.
-And finally, a sore throat from assuring her family over and over that it would be okay. I love you’s and laughing so hard that she would start coughing. Janet loved to laugh; she wore joy and laughter like a necklace.
I have prescribed Rest for Eternity for Janet. But I want her children – Kim (Tim), Toby (Cindy), Mark (Adele) Trish; grand children-Erica (JR), Timothy (Angela), Derrick (Megan), Jordan, Madelyn (Cole), Chase (Jenn) Madeline (Aaron) and her great grandchildren- Will, Gia, Liam, Kaelyn, Kaedyn, Kaecyn, Emalyn, Luke and Christina to be assured that she will always be with them, watching, comforting and guiding.
Her family doctor,
P.S. I have also asked Janet to help me keep an eye on Ralph who has been with me since 2009.
Please celebrate with our family anytime from 6 to 8 on Friday evening at Emmanuel Baptist Church or 1 hour prior to our mama’s service that will be held at 1 p.m., at Emmanuel. Entombment will be in Tyler Mountain Memory Gardens. 1st Mausoleum. Bollinger Funeral Home, Charleston, is handling the arrangements.
In lieu of flowers our family would ask that you donate in tribute to our mother at: The Michael J Fox Foundation PO Box 5015 Hagerstown, MD. 21741 (Parkinson’s Disease)
Or Hospice Care 1606 Kanawha Blvd West Charleston, WV 25387.
