United States High School Yearbooks by County
HOLMES
Carl Ferdinand Holmes
Carl Ferdinand Holmes, born October 15, 1910 in Denver, Colorado, died while his daughter sat with him, January 15, 2005, at Saint Johns in Woodland, California. The son of Oscar and Margaret Holmes, Carl spent most of his life around the Winters area. He owned and operated Holmes Warehouse and farmed his orchard in northern Solano County. Carl joined the Navy during World War II serving as a lieutenant in the South Pacific. While training in Farragut, Idaho he met Kathleen Gerking. They were married on Memorial Day 1943 in Spokane Washington. Carl was a member of the Elks Lodge for over 50 years, a member of the American Legion and Winters Post V.F.W. He was a past president of the Solano County Fair Board and served as a board member of 50 years. A former member of the Yolo Fliers Club and El Macero Country Club, he was the senior member of the Fairfield Old Guard. He loved to play golf, cards, and dominoes.
Carl was preceded in death by his mother and father, his brother Oscar Holmes, and by his loving wife, Kathleen. He is survived by his son Carl, daughter Barbara, granddaughters Andrea Crompton and Margaret Flanagan, great granddaughter Abigail Flanagan and his sister, Mae Martin of Winters.
Remembrances can be made to Yolo Hospice, Pioneer Presbyterian Church, Saint Johns Retirement Village, or the charity of your choice. A memorial celebration of Carl's life and a time of remembrance will be held on January 29, at 1 p.m. at St. Anthony Parish Hall, 511 Main Street, Winters.
HOLMES
Florence Chilton Holmes
Florence Chilton Holmes died quietly in Davis on Aug. 4, 2005, in the home of her eldest son. She was 93.
A memorial celebration and remembrance reception of her life and artistry will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 5, at the Orinda Community Church. Friends can contact Jack Holmes at 756-2562 for details.
Born in Pasadena on Dec. 25, 1911, she grew up there with her late siblings Bill, Lillian and Dorothy. She spent many summers hiking, riding, swimming and sketching at Fallen Leaf Lake near Lake Tahoe, where she acquired a deep love and respect for nature. With her father's influence as a Hollywood interior designer, she entered the fine arts career path and graduated from the Chouinard School of Art in Los Angeles.
After marrying and settling in the East Bay, she worked as a freelance artist in San Francisco and as a draftsperson for the Navy at Mare Island during World War II. She spent 23 years as a private student of the "Singing Brush" style of brush painting under professor Chiura Obata at UC Berkeley, the renowned Sumi and Japanese water color artist. She painted and taught her craft until the summer of 2001. Her artwork has been exhibited at the Oakland Museum, deYoung Museum, UC Berkeley Faculty Club, Orinda Public Library and at private home shows.
Another of her artistic passions was for flowers, both in gardening and in creating Japanese flower arrangements. For more than 20 years, she studied Ikebana arrangements under Haruko Obata and was active in the UCB Flower Arranging Section Club. For about 40 years, she was employed to create from 25 to 50 floral arrangements a week for the UC Berkeley Chancellor's House residence and for the UC President's Blake Estate residence. She began in 1957 by working for Clark and Kay Kerr, and she continued into the mid-1990s, retiring at age 83.
Her children remember her as a gracious hostess to the family's frequent guests, a fair enforcer of good behavior (with a favorite reprimand being "You're the limit"), a lover of nature and beauty, an independent woman who spoke her mind and a generous provider. A great companion in her latter years was the family dog, Buddy.
She was a longtime Orinda resident, as well as a beloved artist, wife, mother, grandmother, friend and teacher. In her final months, she and her family took daily drives to see the local farmland and the coastal mountains. She also enjoyed going on wheelchair outings to admire flower gardens and listening to music played by family members.
She was a devoted housewife, mother and grandmother. She and her late husband, UC Berkeley professor Jack A. Holmes, raised three sons: Jack, Keith and Daniel. Her grandchildren are Tracy, Laurel, Christopher, Bryce, Oliver, Spencer and Sam. She is also remembered dearly by her daughters-in-law: Cathy, Mina, Robin and Amer.
The family requests donations in her name be made to the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek or to San Francisco's new Asian Art Museum.
HOLMES
John Dee Holmes
John Dee Holmes died at his home in Woodland Wednesday, Sept. 21 at age 78.
Mr. Holmes was born May 28, 1927 in Canute, Okla. He had been a Yolo County resident for 51 years. He was an owner/operator trucker driver and worked for numerous farmers in Yolo County operating harvesters, tractors and beet harvesters.
Survivors include Mr. Holmes' wife of 60 years, Florence B. Holmes; his sons, Johnnie J. Holmes; his grandchildren, Metta Brown of Dunnigan, Crisi Goodwin and her husband Chuck of Woodland, Sabrina Blickle and her husband Eric of Woodland, Lana Parrish of Illinois and Devin Brown of Arbuckle; his great-grandchildren, Cameron Goodwin, Addie and Sidney Blickle of Woodland, Cody Parrish and Nichol Hammon of Illinois and Jacob and Justin Brown of Arbuckle; his sister, Naomi Jean Dixon of Knights Landing; his brother, James Holmes and his wife Danna of Exeter and his father-in-law, Jean Ondicol of Dobbins. He is preceded in death by his son, Lannie W. Holmes; his grandson, Johnnie Joseph Holmes Jr.; his parents, Josh and Edna Holmes; and his brothers, Foil and Delbert Holmes.
Services: Graveside services are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 26 at Monument Hill Memorial Park. McNary's Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements.
HOLMS
Nancy Victoria Saph Baker Holms
Nancy Victoria Saph Baker Holms died at her home in Woodland on Monday, March 27 at age 95.
Mrs. Holms was born April 29, 1910 in San Jose to Dr. Victor Louie Saph and Nancy Greenwood Wallace Saph. She grew up in San Jose and Morgan Hill. After high school she attended O'Connor Sanitarium Nursing School, graduating with honors in 1930. After nursing for 46 years in the Woodland, San Jose and Sacramento area hospitals, she retired in 1976 from Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento.
Survivors include Mrs. Holms' daughters, Nancy L. Gilliland of Bend, Ore. and Beverly A. Smothermon of Woodland; her grandchildren, Charles Gilliland and his wife Linda of Bend, Ore., John Gilliland and his wife Debbie of San Marcos, Texas, Richard Gilliland of Westwood, Sam Smothermon of Hesperia, Russell Smothermon and his wife Laura of Rio Linda, Nancy Seal and her husband Robert of Woodland and Kimberly Allen of Bury St. Edmonds, England; 18 great-grandchildren; 18 great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Victor L. and Nancy Greenwood Saph; her sisters, Margaret Flynn, Naomi Archambeault, Isabel Hopkins and her brother, Louie Saph.
The family requests memorials in Mrs. Holms' name be directed to the Food Closet, P.O. Box 803, Woodland, 95776; or Hospice of Yolo County P.O. Box 1017, Davis, 95617.
Services: A memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, April 1 at Woodland Family Worship Center, 386 W. Beamer St., Woodland. A reception will follow the service. Nicoletti, Culjis and Herberger Funeral Home of Sacramento is assisting the family with arrangements.
HOLT
Edwin E. Holt
Edwin Ellis Holt died Dec. 19, 2000, at Sutter Davis Hospital. Born Jan. 22, 1930, in El Paso, Texas, to Abner Holt and Gertrude Kelley, he was 70 years old.
He attended school at Boys Town in Omaha, Neb., and attended Texas Western University and the University of Colorado.
He worked as a heavy equipment operator in Denver, then started in the automobile business there in 1953.
Holt then moved to California and worked as a Ford dealer in San Francisco, then in Santa Rosa. He moved to Davis in 1963 and ran Courtesy Chrysler for five years, then took over Courtesy Pontiac GMC. Two years later, the Holts picked up the Buick and Fiat franchises.
He was committed to his business, family, friends and faith.
Holt was a member of St. James Church in Davis for 40 years, a member of the El Macero Country Club, and an avid golfer and fisherman.
He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Margery A. Holt; daughter Susan Marie Nickerson and her husband Robert; son, Robert Christopher Holt; and three children, Alison, Matthew and Julie Nickerson.
Friends are invited to a Rosary today at 7 p.m. at St. James Catholic Church, 14th and B streets, and a funeral Mass Friday at 2:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to St. Patrick's Children's Home, 5945 Franklin Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95824.
HOLT
James Walter Holt, Jr.
James Walter Holt Jr. died Friday, May 21, 2004, at his home in Esparto. He was 85 years old.
Born Jan. 29, 1919, in Antlers, Okla., he served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a member of the 5th Cavalry Division. He lived in Yolo County for the past 42 years and was retired from Armor Foods, where he served for 20 years.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mildred Holt of Esparto; a daughter, Cassandra Durst of Acampo; sons, Jimmy Wayne Holt of Chico and Larry Don Holt of San Gabriel; sisters, Louise Hotaling of Kansas; Billie Pullens of Fresno; Neda Malamma of Bakersfield; Carol Cornell of Oklahoma and Dorothye Holbrook of Texas. He also is survived by eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Private family services are to be held at a later date, with arrangements under the direction of Evergreen Funeral Services of Woodland. Memorial contributions in Holt's name may be made to Yolo Hospice.
HOLTE
Linda Holte
Linda Holte of Davis died May 9, 2002, after a lengthy battle with progressive supranuclear palsy. She was 54.
She was born to William and Aagot Umland in Magnolia, Minn., on May 24, 1947, and graduated from Magnolia High School. She earned an English education degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., where she met Carlton Holte, whom she married in 1969. The couple moved to Davis in 1971, after living for two years in Decorah, Iowa.
She was a substitute teacher at Old Emerson Junior High School in 1971 and later took a full-time position. She taught at Old Emerson, Holmes Junior High and Davis High School until her illness forced her retirement.
In addition to teaching English, drama and speech and a writing seminar, she directed plays and musicals, coordinated the Steinbeck country field trips and was a class adviser.
She was a mentor teacher for the district, a member of the review team for school accreditations, a reader and consultant for state test development projects and writing programs, and was an active member of the Area 3 Writing Project and the California Association of Teachers of English.
She was active in Lutheran Church of the Incarnation as a council and committee member and Catechetics teacher. She was a longtime member of Children's Home Society and enjoyed playing bridge.
Survivors include her husband; her children, Erik Holte of San Jose and Maren Holte of Concord; her sisters, Carol Burtness of Solvang and Pamela Rohr of Santa Ynez; their families; and numerous relatives and godchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, 1701 Russell Blvd. in Davis, at 2 p.m. Saturday.
An English education scholarship fund is being established in her memory at St. Olaf College.
