James Stevens Holmes, Jr. fondly called Epaw by his grandchildren, died quietly in his Traphill, North Carolina, home December 18, 2013. He was 87 years old. Mr. Holmes was born in Jackson, Mississippi, May 21, 1926 to James Stevens Holmes, Sr. and Mae Frances Holmes. He has one sister, Mae Frances Holmes Smith, who still resides in Jackson. He was preceded in death by his precious wife of 50 years, Dorothy Singletary Holmes, of Florence, Mississippi. He joined the United States Department of Navy in 1943 where he became a navy pilot during WWII. Upon discharge he attended Milsaps College of Jackson, Mississippi. He transferred, finished his college work at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated in 1950 with a degree in engineering. Upon graduation he secured a job with Southern Bell where he began as a line foreman in the state of Kentucky. Throughout his career he was very active in union contracts and negotiations. After 38 years he retired from the Bell Company as advisor to the president. When Mr. Holmes resided in Georgia, he was an active church member and elder. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. His various hobbies ranged from a love of Truth, of southern and Confederate history, of motorcycles and travel, to an avid love of reading. Epaw is survived by his two sons, James Stevens Holmes, III and Benjamin Ford Holmes, III and wife Helen, all of Traphill. His eight grandchildren-Harrison Taylor and wife Alicia, Carter Neill, Tucker Davis, Priscilla Basye, Victoria Somervaill, James Stovall, Raymon Jackson, and Benjamin Ford IV- reside throughout North Carolina, Virginia, and New York. A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 20, 1:00 pm, at Elkin Funeral Home, 560 Highway 268 West, Elkin, North Carolina. The family will receive friends beginning at 12:30. Afterward, Mr. Holmes will be interred at Georgia National Cemetery, Canton, Georgia. In lieu of flowers, donations will be accepted at Covenant of Grace Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 30023, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27130. For additional information, please contact Elkin Funeral Home at 336-526-4460.
