PORTLAND – Lloyd Herschel Holmes, 83, passed away Oct. 8, 2010, with his family by his side at Fallbrook Woods. Born Jan. 15, 1927, in Portland, Lloyd was the second son of Ronald T. and Betty Holt Holmes. He attended schools in Portland, graduating from Deering High in 1945. From there he went to Maine Maritime Academy and graduated in 1947 as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. In 2002, Maine Maritime awarded Lloyd a place on the Wall of Honor for his support of the academy and distinguished career in his chosen field. Lloyd joined his ailing father in the family business, Holmes Electric Supply Co., and married his childhood sweetheart, Janet Chase, in 1948. As the business grew, the family grew. In the 1950s, Janet and Lloyd had three children and Lloyd took over the firm and added a retail showroom, the Room of Lights. This later became the House of Lights, which is still owned by the family in Scarborough. Lloyd’s son-in-law, Bert Andrews, came into the business in the 1970s and took it over in the late 1980s. Holmes Distributors, Inc. was merged into Horizon Solutions in 2000 and is still in Portland, Bangor and Manchester, N.H., today. Apart from the success of his own business, Lloyd contributed immensely to the community. He was on numerous boards and gave time and energy for many years to Maine Medical Center, Junior Achievement – elected to their Maine Business Hall of Fame in 1992, Woodford’s Church, United Way, Maine Maritime Academy, Westbrook College, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Blue Alliance Mutual Insurance Co., YMCA and Outward Bound. He was well respected and received many awards for these efforts, among them the Chamber’s Henri Benoit Award and the United Way of America’s Alexis de Tocqueville Award. In 2004, the United Way of Greater Portland established the Holmes Leadership Award in his honor. Having a passion for the outdoors, Lloyd enjoyed golf, running, skiing, fishing, snowmobiling and hiking. Starting in high school, he skied at Cranmore Mountain, North Conway, N.H., as well as peaks out west for more than 60 years and passed this love on to his children and grandchildren. He and Janet were active members of Portland Country Club for more than 35 years, where he served on the board of trustees and as chairman of the golf committee in the mid-1980s. He took up running at age 50, entered races with his children and friends, and started the United Way Kickoff Run when he was the campaign chair in 1978. Training for Mount Everest, he climbed Mount Washington, Mount Katahdin, Mount Rainier, the Swiss Alps and Mount Kilimanjaro in the late 1980s. He was believed to be the oldest person, 63, to have reached the highest altitude, 21,500 feet, on Mount Everest during the peace climb of 1990. Salmon fishing on the Ponoi River in Russia, hiking and biking in New Zealand, snowmobiling on the Allagash River and cross-country skiing the Tenth Mountain Division trail in the Rockies were just some of the adventures he took with dear friends. Reading, photography and studying the stock market were some of his other hobbies. Even more important to Lloyd than his many accomplishments was his love of and devotion to family. He was immensely proud of his wife, children and grandchildren. He was always there for them and attended every birthday, holiday, school and sporting event, especially for his grandchildren whenever he could. He will be greatly missed. Lloyd was predeceased by his parents; his brother, Ronald Jr.; his loving wife of 60 years, Janet, in 2008; and his son-in-law, Bert Andrews, in 2002. He is survived by his brothers, Wilbur and Betty of Cape Elizabeth, and Bob and Linda of Scarborough; sisters, Elaine and John Luce of South Portland, and Jackie Nevin of Gainesville, Fla.; children, Mark Holmes and Jerilyn Rogers of Shelburne, N.H., Cindy Andrews and Tom Whyte of Cumberland, and Judy Holmes and Jim Progin of Seal Harbor and Jackson, N.H.; and grandchildren, Kelly, Erik, Mark and Kristy Andrews of Cumberland. The family thanks and greatly appreciates the kindness, love and great care provided by the wonderful staff at Fallbrook Woods during his time there. A memorial service to celebrate Lloyd’s life will be held 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, at Woodford’s Congregational Church, 202 Woodford St., Portland. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Lloyd’s memory to his favorite charity, United Way of Greater Portland, 400 Congress St., Portland, ME 04101. Arrangements under the guidance of Independent Death Care, 660 Brighton Ave., Portland. To offer words of condolence, sign a guest book, and share memories, go to the obituary page at www.independentdeathcare.com.
LLOYD HERSCHEL HOLMES
