JOHN FRANKLIN HOLMES

North Carolina, Raleigh - John Franklin Holmes, died at his Raleigh home Friday, April 22, after a valiant, two-year struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was 67. He was born in Memphis, the son of the late Martha Ellen Burrow and Henry DeVotie Holmes Sr., and grew up in Tunica, Mississippi, in the heart of the Delta where his father was a cotton planter. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1966. There he met his wife, the former Jeanie Hobby of Raleigh, NC. They married in 1967. After joining the Mississippi National Guard following his graduation, Franklin began a career in banking at Union Planters National Bank in Memphis. During his years in Memphis, he was a member of several community boards, including the Boy Scouts of America, the Cotton Carnival, and city and state boards of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In 1982, the Holmes family moved to Knoxville, TN where he was employed by United American Bank, which later became First Tennessee Bank. When the bank sponsored the 1982 World’s Fair, he was in charge of corporate sponsorships for the event. He cherished the time spent and numerous friends made in Memphis and Knoxville. In 1985, the family relocated to Raleigh, NC where he founded Hobby Properties, a commercial real estate company, and successfully managed the business until the time of his death. His greatest love was his family. He leaves his wife, Jean Hobby Holmes of Raleigh; a son, John Franklin Holmes Jr. of Raleigh; a daughter, Elizabeth Holmes Moore of Hong Kong; a daughter, Hobby Holmes Cole of New York; and three grandchildren. He also leaves two sisters, Lockie Burrow Holmes York of Holly Springs, Mississippi; and Martha Gerald Holmes Okin of Amelia Island, Florida; and numerous nieces and nephews. For those who want to honor Franklin with a memorial, the family suggests The Lustgarten Foundation, a research center for pancreatic cancer, where funds are directed toward finding a cure for the cancer, 1111 Stewart Avenue, Bethpage, NY 11714 or to a charity of the donor’s choice. Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Raleigh, NC. (919)828-4311