John Charles Holmes

It is with tremendous sadness but enormous gratitude for a life well-lived that we announce the death of Judge John Charles Holmes on November 29, 2025. Born on October 31, 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio as the middle child of Frederic and Florence Holmes, he had an indelible connection to his hometown garnering friendships that lasted to death from classmates at Pleasant Ridge Elementary School to Walnut Hills High School. He also had an insatiable appetite for his favorite foods borne of Cincinnati traditions such as Skyline Chili and White Castle Burgers.

Graduating from Walnut Hills High School in 1952 was a great source of pride for John. He attended nearly every high school reunion for his class, including his 65th in 2017, where he and his friends reveled in tales of yesteryear.

After enjoying newfound freedom at Hamilton College he returned home to Miami University of Ohio, where he managed to balance academic excellence, maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA, while enjoying his junior year abroad in Askov, Denmark.

His grades earned him a Root-Tilden scholarship to NYU Law School but after one year in New York, he joined the Army and pursued his law degree at Catholic University at night where he graduated in 1963. It was here in Washington, DC where he met his future wife, Theresa (Terry) Carolyn Furgal, and where he and Terry built their family legacy with their sons John and Bob.

Having left the Army and several jobs in politics, associations and a law firm, John was appointed to be an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) in 1972 for the Department of Labor. His pursuit of fairly applying the law was his charge and passion and applying the law objectively and without bias provided him unrivaled satisfaction. His love of the law and his conscientious application of it led him to be appointed as the Chief Judge of the Department of Interior’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) in 2000, the pinnacle of his legal career. In 2004, after more than 30 years on the bench, he retired to spend more time in the Florida sun with his beloved Terry.

Known as Jack by his parents and childhood friends, the Judge by his peers, Uncle JC by his nephews and nieces and PopPop by his grandkids, his life revolved around his family, friends and work, all of which he cherished. Competitive and unrelenting, he became an avid golfer and bridge player after he joined Washington Golf and Country Club in 1975. He met many of his best friends here and it was on the golf course where you could find him nearly every Saturday morning. He could also be found chauffeuring kids to sports, throwing the football or baseball with his sons (while occasionally sipping a scotch on the rocks). Terry was the love of his life and they travelled the world together hiking, exploring and eating. They often included their children in their travels, which made them even more meaningful. Judge Holmes is survived by his wife of 64 years, Terry, his two sons, John (Sherilyn) and Bob (Noelle) and their four grandchildren: Caleb, Hannah, Landon and Jensen. He was 91.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Ann Catholic Church in Arlington, Virginia on Friday, December 12th at 11 am, followed by a private burial.