William Blair Holmes

William B. Holmes – CDR US Navy (Ret.) September 4, 1951- April 20, 2019 William (Bill) Holmes of Burke, VA passed away at his home due to complications from ALS. He is survived by his wife Karen O. Holmes and his son Benjamin B. Holmes. A son David C. Holmes and his parents Charles and Fern Holmes predeceased him. Bill was born in Washington, PA. He is a 1969 graduate of McGuffey HS, a 1973 graduate of the US Naval Academy and earned a MSME degree from the University of Florida. He was a US Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer for 22 years. One of his most challenging and rewarding jobs for the Navy was being the Resident Officer in charge of Construction for the National Maritime Intelligence Center. He earned the Meritorious Service Medal for his work on the project. After Navy retirement he worked for Grubb and Ellis, Bytegrid and was the Superintendent of Construction and Director of Facilities Management for the US-Congress- Architect of the Capitol for five years. He was also the founder and President of Holmes Facility Group. In addition to Bill’s work life he enjoyed many hobbies. He was an avid stamp and coin collector and was a passionate member of the antique car community. In the past he owned and restored a 1922 Overland and a 1941 Buick convertible. He was a past president of the Bull Run Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America. He was a judge for antique car shows on many occasions. Bill also frequently attended many antique car shows and he and Ben went to the Sully Car show in Chantilly VA annually. During the years his son was a Boy Scout he volunteered as an adult leader. He eventually was the Scout Master for Troop 1343 in Burke Station, and proudly supported Ben in earning the Eagle Scout rank. He was also a mentor to may others in the troop and guided them to Eagle as well. He was a great handy man and could fix almost anything. He enjoyed Navy football very much and held season tickets for many years. He loved getting together with his Navy friends. He also loved Pittsburgh Steelers football. In recent years he and his wife were able to take several wonderful cruises with friends. A memorial service will be held May 4, 2019; 11 AM at Messiah UMC, 6215 Rolling Rd., Springfield, VA 22152. Burial will be in Claysville, PA at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to ALS Association DC/MD/VA Chapter, Messiah United Methodist Church or the charity of your choice.