Edward Marion Holmes III

Edward Marion Holmes III, father, grandfather, hospital administrator, U.S. Navy veteran, and pioneer of air-medical transport, died peacefully on October 13, 2025, surrounded by family and friends. He was 88.
Born December 17, 1936, Ed dedicated his life to service, first to his country and later to patients whose lives were saved through his visionary leadership in emergency medical transport.
He earned his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and a Master of Hospital Administration from the Medical College of Virginia. After graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy as a bombardier-navigator on an A3-D Skywarrior, serving aboard the USS Forrestal with Heavy Attack Squadron 5, the "Savage Sons." His years at sea shaped his discipline, sense of duty, and lifelong fascination with aviation.
In 1981, while serving as Administrator of Sentara Leigh Memorial Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, Ed conceived and launched the Nightingale Air Ambulance, the region's first hospital-based medical helicopter program. Nightingale completed its first mission in 1982 and has since flown tens of thousands of patients throughout Hampton Roads and beyond. The program remains a cornerstone of regional critical-care transport today.
Ed later brought his expertise to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, where he established the PennSTAR Air Ambulance program, expanding access to rapid, high-quality emergency care. His pioneering work in both programs transformed hospital-based emergency response and continues to save lives every day.
Colleagues remember Ed as an intelligent, determined, and principled leader who balanced discipline with empathy. Family and friends will remember his curiosity, optimism, and deep devotion to those he loved most. A proud member of the Order of Late Developing Former Aviation Resource Types-better known as O.L.D. F.A.R.T.-Ed delighted in sharing the title with everyone he met, always earning laughter and the occasional puzzled look. He never met a stranger and never hesitated to help someone in need. Ed had a gift for seeing the good in people and often reached out to those facing hard times, quietly changing lives through his kindness, generosity, and belief in second chances.
Ed is survived by his children, Sarah Toy Holmes Hande and Edward "Ted" Marion Holmes IV; his former wife and mother of his children, Toy Shreeves Scott; his children-in-law, Robert Jensen Hande and Leah Barbee Holmes; and three grandchildren, Anna, Mary, and Henry. He is also survived by his sister, Daily Walsh Stern.
A funeral mass will be held at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church on November 5, 2025, at 11 a.m., with a reception immediately following.