David Gregory Holmes

Greg was born on May 24, 1947, in Reno, Nevada, to parent’s Ralph “Bud” Holmes and Berna Jean “Bee-Jay” South. Greg grew up in Reno and Las Vegas, graduating from Wooster High in Reno (1965). Greg attended every Wooster reunion for over 50 years. At the University of Nevada, Reno Greg studied Music Theory and Architecture.

Greg served in the Unites States Army Reserve, and upon receiving an Honorable Discharge worked for over 20 years as the primary Maintenance Custodian for the State of Nevada, Stead Airport Army National Guard training complex. This was Greg’s core employment with music as his constant passion.

Greg was a drummer par excellence. Gregs father taught him the drums at an early age, and it was a passion the two enjoyed throughout their lives together. Greg played professionally and impromptu for friends anywhere his drum kit and space would accommodate. Greg started playing club gigs in his teens, sitting in with many local Reno bands including The Jan Savage Band and The Unity Band and in Yuma, Arizona, The Whitehorse Band. One of his musician friends once said of Greg, “whenever Greg was playing, he brought the level of all the other musicians up!”

On many memorable occasions, Greg would take his sisters to concerts and introduced them to many different forms of art. Greg was an avid self-taught artist in his own right. Even his doodles were “keepers.” He loved his nephews Adrian and Ian and loved to take them on adventures tailored just for them.

Greg was a tireless desert explorer, seeing the desert each time as a new unfolding and “wow” experience. Greg rode motorcycles all over the Western U.S. with buddies and family alongside and on back. His beloved Kawasaki 1500 was his final big bike.

To know Greg was to know a kind, loving, selfless and generous man. Eccentric, distinct and unique, Greg was a loyal, giving person who looked out for and after his friends and family. Greg was known for his unique notes fashioned in his distinctive, colorful script: Christmas, birthday and special occasion notes that could only be from Greg. Greg was a character among characters with a signature flair for rolled up jeans, cowboy hats, tie-dyed shirts, cornered baseball caps and cool jackets sporting commemorative pins. You could see Greg coming a mile away bearing a beaming smile.

Greg leaves behind a legacy of kindness, generosity, and wonderment. His surviving family includes brother Mike Arnold of Fayetteville, North Carolina; sisters Maureen Drakulich Conway of Reno, Nevada, and Bridgette Nilsen of Bandon, Oregon, and nephews Adrian Drakulich of Reno, Nevada and Ian Drakulich of Seattle, Washington. Greg is a sweet soul embarking upon a new journey and is already dearly missed by all who knew him.

A celebration of life will be planned at a later date.