Sherry Spradley Holmes

SHERRY SPRADLEY HOLMES, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend was born in Houston on September 17, 1945, the daughter of Charles William and Jane Bland Spradley. She died on October 18, 2002, after a courageous battle with cancer. She was preceded in death by her parents and one sister Suzanne Spradley. In 1977, Sherry married Ned S. Holmes of Houston. In the Holmes household, in addition to her husband Ned, she is survived by Ned S. Holmes, Jr., Berkeley Holmes Downie, Erin Holmes, Allison Holmes and four grandsons, Christopher Russell Holmes, Sam Holmes Downie, Michael Langford Downie and Malcolm Bradford Downie. Mrs. Holmes was first and foremost a devoted mother and wife. She raised her children in the same manner she conducted her life, with a rare combination of humility, kindness, wisdom, and humor. Accepting a role in her life no one would choose to play, her extraordinary strength, determination, and grace in her four-year fight with cancer was - and will always remain -- an inspiration to all who had the privilege to know her. In spite of four difficult years fighting cancer, Sherry never complained and always maintained a positive attitude, giving strength to all of those who loved her. Sherry was deeply loved, greatly admired, and will be missed for as long as her family and many dear friends remain on this earth. Mrs. Holmes' strength and inner beauty were matched only by her physical beauty, which she never recognized. A graduate of Lamar High School in 1964, Sherry was selected as Most Beautiful. At the University of Texas, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree, she was selected as one of the ten most beautiful and served as the first sweetheart of the Silver Spurs honorary organization. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Sherry previously served as a speech therapist in the Spring Branch School District. In 2000, Lamar High School honored Sherry as a Distinguished Alumna. A life-long resident of Houston, Sherry Holmes gave of her time and talent in many ways to better her community. A very important part of Sherry's life was her strong devotion to her church, River Oaks Baptist, and to Bible study group lead by her good friend Jeanne Miley. She thoroughly enjoyed a variety of charitable activities and for many years was a member of The Junior League of Houston, River Oaks Garden Club, Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae, Delta Delta Delta Mothers Club, WPO Spouse Forum, her sewing club which after twenty-six years evolved into a dinner club, and her bridge club. Sherry was happiest tending to her beautiful rose garden while watching her grandchildren at play. During the years of her fight with cancer, she took great comfort from time spent in Colorado. Visitation will be held at the Holmes family residence from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Sunday, October 20, 2002. A memorial service will be held at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, October 22, at River Oaks Baptist Church, 2300 Willowick. Honorary pallbearers are Mac Dunwoody, Jim Edmonds, Harry Glauser, Frank Hadlock, Tom Hill, Jack Hoover, David Ott, Bill Sharman, Charles Tate, Tim Timanus, and Dick Vermillion. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to River Oaks Baptist School Capital Campaign, Episcopal High School, or the Sarcoma Clinic at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.