William Walter Holmes III

Funeral for Col. (Ret.) W.W. "Bill" Holmes III, 75, of Decatur will be Saturday, November 19, 2011, at 3 p.m. at Roselawn Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Cameron Douglas officiating. Burial will be in Roselawn Cemetery. Visitation will be tonight from 6 to 8 at the funeral home.

Mr. Holmes, who died Thursday, November 17, 2011, at Huntsville Hospital, was born September 30, 1936, in Jackson, Tenn., to William Walter Holmes II and Mai Jeanette Jennings Holmes. He served 36 years in the Tennessee National Guard, obtaining the rank of full colonel (06) and graduating with honors from the Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He worked for Wolverine Tube in Decatur for 14 years having achieved the position of industrial sales manager, then formed his own company and served as manufacturing representative for 28 years. Mr. Holmes served First Christian Church as a deacon, elder, trustee, Sunday school teacher, board chairman and was a member of the choir.

He is survived by his wife, Jo Holmes; three sons, William W. "Walt" Holmes IV of Birmingham, David Gaither Holmes (Melanie) and Christopher Jennings Holmes, both of Trinity; three daughters, Stella Troup of Decatur, Kelley Askew Gillikin of Montgomery and Peggy Irene Pelletire (Rick) of Decatur; his mother, Mai Jennings Welch of Decatur; 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Jason Holmes, Nathan Gillikin, Kirby Wasson, Drew Holmes, Lucas Holmes and Jim Gillikin.

Honorary pallbearers will be Elders of First Christian Church (DOC).

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Christian Church Capital Fund or the Community Free Clinic.