TOM HOLMES

HOLMES--Tom. Mr. Tom Holmes, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ingersoll Rand passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 9, 2019, surrounded by his loving family. Mr. Holmes was born and raised in Wilmington, Mass., and was the son of Mr. John Thomas and Mrs. Marion Eileen Burtt Holmes. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mrs. Joan Merritt Holmes; his four children (Nanne, Susan, Bruce, John); 13 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; a brother, Dr. G. Burtt Holmes; and a brother-in-law, Mr. Frank Merritt. He is predeceased by his loving sister, Mrs. Priscilla Bedell. After an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Navy where he served in World War II as a pilot, Mr. Holmes graduated from the Missouri School of Mines-Rolla which is now the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Mr. Holmes joined Ingersoll Rand's construction and mining division in St. Louis, Mo. He was named Chairman, CEO and President of the company in 1980. As an executive with the company, he completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. He was a successful and ambitious leader, well respected by his employees and admired for his leadership, infectious smile, and his kind and compassionate spirit. Mr. Holmes was proud of Ingersoll Rand and his many contributions toward the company's success. Mr. Holmes served on the Board of Directors for Becton Dickinson and Company, Newmont Mining Corporation, Chesebrough- Pond's Inc. and W. R. Grace and Company. He was a partner in the investment firms of Metapoint Partners and Gateshead Partners. Mr. Holmes was a generous philanthropist with a strong desire to help people. He established two scholarships, the Thomas A. and Joan M. Holmes Scholarship and the Thomas and Joan Endowment Scholarship, at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. His wife, a graduate of Indiana University, established The J. Bruce and Helen F. Merritt Scholarship for the Herman B. Wells Scholars Program at Indiana University. Mr. and Mrs. Holmes also founded the Thomas A. and Joan M. Holmes Foundation to support many charities. Mr. and Mrs. Holmes lived in New Hope, Pa. before moving to Naples, Fl. They also spent many happy years in their favorite vacation spot, the Island of Nantucket. In his younger years, Mr. Holmes had a passion for horses, enjoying time at his horse farm, Gateshead Farms, in New Hope. We will miss an extraordinary and successful gentleman.