John Franklin Holmes

A native of Mississippi, Holmes was a prominent member of Raleigh's business community for more than a quarter-century and a popular figure in social circles across the South throughout his adult life.

He was born in Memphis, the son of the late Martha Ellen Burrow and Henry DeVotie Holmes Sr., and grew up in Tunica, Mississippi, in the heart of the Delta where his father was a cotton planter. Following Delta tradition, he spent a lively and mischievous childhood playing with friends and working in cotton fields alongside his father's workers. Though his mother was an accomplished classical musician, Franklin learned the famous sounds of the region – the blues – from his youthful associates. He was also taught the "hambone," a fast, rhythmic slapping of hand to leg, and enjoyed displaying this unique talent to friends and family over the years. He especially savored the opportunity to pass on his love of music and tales of his Delta days to his children.

When Franklin was 15, his parents felt he needed more supervision and enrolled him at Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, Tennessee, where he graduated in 1961. Separated from his companions back home, he threw his energies into schoolboy sports. He was an outstanding pitcher on the Castle Heights baseball team and named to the All Mid-South basketball team his senior year.

He went on to earn a business degree from the University of Mississippi in 1966. His years at Ole Miss came during a memorable time when the school's football teams were among the best in the nation and its student body boasted two Miss Americas and countless beauties. Ole Miss was also the setting for a dramatic struggle over integration during his sophomore year.

He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and his years on the Oxford campus made an impression that stayed with him for the rest of his life. Although his parents were not always amused by some of the legends that spun from their son's practical jokes and extracurricular activities at Ole Miss, he came away from the experience with legions of friends and a devotion to the school and its athletic teams.

He met his wife, the former Jeanie Hobby of Raleigh, N.C., at Ole Miss. They married in 1967.

After joining the Mississippi National Guard following his graduation, Franklin began a career in banking at Union Planters National Bank in Memphis. He quickly rose through the ranks and became the youngest senior vice president in the institution's history. During his years in Memphis, he was a member of several community boards, including the Boy Scouts of America, the Cotton Carnival, and city and state boards of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

In 1982, the Holmes family moved to Knoxville, where he was employed by the United American Bank, which later became the First Tennessee Bank. When the bank sponsored the 1982 World's Fair, he was in charge of corporate sponsorships for the event.

He took up another challenge in 1985 and changed careers. He joined his father-in-law's real estate company in Raleigh and successfully managed Hobby Properties until the time of his death.

His managerial skills and temperament always served him well. With his quick wit and engaging personality, Franklin easily fit into his wife's hometown. He was a member of the Raleigh Board of Realtors, the Carolina Country Club, Four Seasons Cotillion, the Nine O'Clock Cotillion Club, the Circle Club, Milburne Fishing Club and the Sphinx Club.

His greatest love was his family. He leaves his wife, Jean Hobby Holmes of Raleigh; a son, John Franklin Holmes Jr. of Raleigh; a daughter, Elizabeth Holmes Moore and her husband, Brian Moore, of Hong Kong; a daughter, Hobby Holmes Cole, and her husband, Taylor Cole, of New York; and three grandchildren, Jackson Payne Moore and Elizabeth Hobby Holmes Moore of Hong Kong, and Charles Taylor Holmes Cole of New York.

He also leaves two sisters, Lockie Burrow Holmes York and her husband, Billy York, of Holly Springs, Mississippi; and Martha Gerald Holmes Okin and her husband, Gene Okin, of Amelia Island, Florida; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the Carolina Country Club.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at Christ Church, 120 East Edenton St., in Raleigh. Burial will follow at Historic Oakwood Cemetery.

The Holmes family is deeply indebted to the physicians and staff at Duke Hospital and to Dr. Mark Yoffe and staff of Cancer Centers of North Carolina as well as to Dr. William Dunlap for their care, support and dedication during Franklin's long illness. The family also acknowledges, with grateful appreciation, Dr. Jospeh P. Archie, Dr. J. Tift Mann, and Dr. William I. Proctor for their unwavering devotion and friendship during the past two years.

For those who want to honor Franklin with a memorial, the family suggests The Lustgarten Foundation, a research center for pancreatic cancer, where funds are directed toward finding a cure for the cancer, 1111 Stewart Avenue, Bethpage, NY 11714 or to a charity of the donor's choice.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC.