Martin Joseph Holmes, 96, of Nashville, was called home to the Lord on Christmas Day. He was surrounded by family members as he passed peacefully at St. Thomas Hospital.
He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Joan, his three children, Jacqueline Daly (Tom), Martin Holmes Jr. (Helena), and Tara Helmer (Joe), his six grandchildren, Kelly Miller (Steve), Thomas Daly, Sean Daly, Carmen Holmes, Andrea Holmes and Libby Helmer, and many nieces/nephews, great nieces/nephews, and cousins.
He was predeceased by his parents, Mary Kate and Patrick Holmes, and his 6 brothers, Paddy, Michael, John, Joe, Tony and Tom.
Martin was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in 1926, the 6th of 7 boys. Growing up on a rural farm was difficult, but faith and family was central to his childhood and helped mold Martin into the fine man he became.
After farming until the age of 26, hoping for a better future, Martin left his homeland for England, then Canada and finally to New York City in 1957. It was in the Bronx where he started working as a New York City bus driver and met his wife, Joan. They married in 1963 and moved to New Jersey in 1966 where they raised their three children.
Martin was very involved in the Irish community, serving as Vice President of the Bergan Irish Association, and helping to build their current building which was dedicated in the mid-1980s. He also served as the Grand Marshal of the Bergen County St. Patrick’s Day parade in March 1996.
Following retirement, Martin and Joan moved to Toms River, NJ, then to Florida and finally to Nashville, TN in 2022.
Despite little formal education, Martin learned by doing and developed many skills and talents throughout his lifetime. He could do or build anything, and he was always willing to lend a hand to family members or friends.
He was extremely welcoming, greeting everyone with his warm smile and a hearty handshake or hug. He and Joan were blessed with many treasured friends from every phase of their life, instilling the importance of friendship in each of their children. He was also immensely proud of his children and grandchildren and relished every one of them and their many accomplishments.
Throughout his life his faith, family, friends, and Irish heritage remained fiercely important to him, helping to define him as a devout Catholic, a loving family man, a dependable friend, and a true gentleman to the end.
A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Matthew Catholic Church, Franklin, TN, on January 7, 2023, at 12:00 pm. Visitation will be at St. Matthew prior to the mass, beginning at 11:00 am.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor can be made to St. Patrick’s Missionary Society (https://www.stpatrickfathers.org/).
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.marshalldonnellycombs.com for the Holmes family.
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