John Parham Holmes III

John Parham Holmes, III -AUBURN, AL - John Parham Holmes, III (J.P.), Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Auburn University, died in his home in Auburn, Alabama on February 11, 2012 at the age of 68. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, teacher and friend. -Dr. Holmes was born on February 6, 1944 in Macon, Georgia. He was the son of the late Lieutenant John Parham Holmes, Jr. and Frances Bush Holmes. Dr. Holmes's father died when he was young and his mother remarried to Colonel William Lee Wood, Jr., a career United States Air Force officer. Much of his childhood was spent in Macon, Georgia, but he also lived on several Air Force bases within the United States. He attended public schools in Macon and finished high school at RAF Lakenheath, England in 1962. He graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics. He earned his Master of Arts degree in Mathematics in 1968 from the University of Georgia and his Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics in 1971 from Emory University. During the following year he served as a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Florida. He married Pamela Jane Easmann September 4, 1966 in Savannah, Georgia. Their marriage of more than 45 years produced two sons and three grandsons. -Dr. Holmes was a gifted mathematician who served on the Mathematics Department faculty of Auburn University from 1972 until his retirement in 2010. During that period he also served as Visiting Professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo on three occasions. His personal research at Auburn University is published in numerous refereed journals. Dr. Holmes was also an invited speaker at mathematical meetings within the United States and abroad. -Dr. Holmes spent summers working in various locations where he applied his skills to difficult problems facing our country. He enjoyed this challenge and was proud of his success in solving problems in the national interest. Among his employers were Sandia Laboratories, Oak Ridge National Laboratories, the Institute for Defense Analysis Center for Communications Research, the Institute for Defense Analysis Supercomputer Research Center, and the National Security Agency. He was also a consultant in the private sector for Interactic Holdings. -During his early years in Auburn, Dr. Holmes and two of his faculty colleagues opened and operated the Freewheeler Bicycle Shop on North College Street. Biking was a passion he enjoyed for many years. He was an enthusiastic wood worker and carpenter. His other hobbies included astronomy, organic gardening, reading, and solving word and number puzzles. Dr. Holmes was also a member of the Society of the Cincinnati. -Dr. Holmes was devoted to his family. He will be greatly missed. Survivors include his wife, Pamela Easmann Holmes; son, John Parham Holmes IV (wife Laryessa George) and grandson, Ian George Holmes; son, Dr. William Bruton Holmes (wife, Anne Locklin Bowling) and grandsons, William Bruton Holmes Jr. and Henry Ronald Holmes; mother, Frances Bush Holmes Wood and step-father, Col. William Lee Wood, Jr.; sister, Sarah Bush Holmes Smith (Crocker); nieces, Elizabeth Winchester Heim (Luke) and Sarah Winchester Woods (Jason); nephew, Hunter Crocker Smith; and brother-in-law, Ronald Easmann. -There will be a private graveside service for the family 2pm EST Saturday, February 18, Cedar Hill Cemetery, Dawson, Georgia. -Plans for a memorial service will be announced at a later date.