Christopher J. Holmes

It is with a very heavy heart that we bid adieu to our darling Mr. Holmes. Christopher Joseph Holmes left us on October 31, 2010. He was 85. He was the beloved only child of Alice and Patrick Shea, born August 16, 1925 in New York City, where he lived until 1991, when he moved to Santa Rosa to start his retirement. He graduated from Brooklyn's famed Boys High School, having been recognized as gifted and given a full scholarship. He served his country well in the Army Air Corps in 1945-46. After the war Christopher got a job as a gofer at the Ziegfield Follies. He had worked there for a year or two when he was offered a job on the 20th Century Limited, the deluxe express train that carried the rich and famous between New York and Chicago. His job title was ""secretary"" but today he would be known as a concierge. On that train he learned card tricks from Milton Berle, and shared a cocktail with then-actor and future President Ronald Reagan, who did not want to drink alone. After his stint on the 20th Century, he worked in Manhattan in real estate and retail. For the last 25 years before his retirement, he was the director of personnel for Lord & Taylor's flagship department store on Fifth Avenue. In 1964 he met the person who would be his companion and closest friend for the next 46 years, Herbert E. ""Rock"" Rockefeller. The Broadway stage never had a bigger fan than Christopher Holmes, who went to his first show at 10 years old and never stopped. He was a natural-born critic and had an uncanny ability to know which show was going to ""make it or break it""; he was always right. Christopher loved people, animals, show biz, fashion, movies and ""the good life."" In 1960 he went to live with friends in a villa on the Italian isle of Capri, where he met the comic actress Bea Lillie and made many friends he would keep for years. Once Christopher retired and moved to Santa Rosa, needless to say he had a whole different life. But in spite of himself he grew to love it. He relished the beautiful garden that Herb would create at their home and would sit for hours, ""taking in the sun,"" reading his newspapers and the New Yorker magazine. In that same garden, he literally charmed the birds from the trees, sitting patiently for hours with a peanut in his hand or on his knee until the wild blue jays came. And come they did: Generations of trusting jays graced their garden, even ""knocking"" at the back door in search of a treat. A few years ago a new being came into Christopher and Rock's life. Her name is Chimay and she is a beauty: sleek, with a lovely complexion, and eyes that looked into Chris' soul. No Weimaraner has ever been so loved. Because of this ravishing creature a whole new group of people came into Chris' life. He and Chimay would make their neighborhood rounds and gather fans by the score. He dearly loved that animal and she gave him such comfort this last year. Special thanks are due to the nurses and staff at Memorial Hospital, and to Christopher's wonderful physicians - Dr. Marek Bozdech, Dr. Gregg Hopkins, Dr. John Hollander and Dr. Larry Marianella - for their kindness and care this past year. For those of us who loved this man, our hearts are broken. We will not see his likes again, but our lives are so enriched for having known him. In addition to Herb and Chimay, he leaves behind: the whole Micheli clan; his dear neighbors Lee and Bill Sawyer; Michele McFarland and Diane Holt (aka ""The Girls""); and many other friends in the Talbot Avenue neighborhood.
Donations in his memory can be made to the American Cancer Society or the charity of your choice. A Celebration of Life will be held in his honor in Santa Rosa on the afternoon of November 20. For details, please call 523-4634 or e-mail HolmesGathering@gmail.com.