Holmes, Verna Thomas

Mrs. Verna Mae Thomas Holmes, 91, of Christiansburg, Virginia, entered eternal rest on Saturday, April 08, 2006.

She was preceded in death by her grandson, Christopher A. Holmes; her son-in-law, David Irvin; her brother-in-law, Zimri Sackcloth Holmes; her sisters: Nannie Thomas Carter, Virginia Thomas, and Geneva Calloway; and her brother, Willie Randolph Thomas.

Verna Mae Thomas was born in Beckley, West Virginia, on March 30, 1915. Her parents were the late William Randolph Thomas and Mary Elizabeth Morgan Thomas. After the death of her father, her mother remarried to Matthew Calloway. She was the third of eight children.

She spent her early childhood in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Christiansburg, Virginia. She was baptized at about 11 years old in a river in Kentucky with her sister Rosa Lee. She started her early education at the Hill School in Christiansburg, Virginia, where she graduated on May 26, 1930. She later attended the Christiansburg Industrial Institute, where she graduated in 1936 along with her sister, Rosa Lee.

She met Nathan Garthright Holmes at Christiansburg Industrial Institute. She and Holmes courted for about eight (8) years before they married on December 16, 1941, at the parsonage of Asbury United Methodist Church, by Rev. J. E. Harris.

As the U.S. entered World War II, Verna migrated to an U.S. Air Force plant in Dayton, Ohio, where she worked for about a year. She returned to Christiansburg where she worked at Grant’s Tavern as the pastry chef. She eventually went to the Hardi House Restaurant in Blacksburg, Virginia, as pastry chef for several years. In her later years, she made all of the desserts for the Farm House in Christiansburg.

She and her husband worked together at Grant’s Tavern, Hardi House Restaurant, and Robert’s Motel. This union produced two children: Rita Diane Holmes and Glen Allen Holmes. She helped to raise her three grandchildren (Davina, Jonathan, and Christopher) during the pre-school years, and provided after-school care during their early school years.

Holmes was a devoted Christian and faithful member of Schaeffer Memorial Baptist Church in Christiansburg, Virginia. She was a member of the Missionary Circle and the Women’s Willing Workers Club. Psalm 23 was her favorite passage in the Bible. She wanted to be remembered as being “outspoken.” Her favorite song was “Amazing Grace.”

Holmes loved to work in her garden every summer, where she grew fine vegetables. She had many plants in her house. She loved to cook and was known for her delicious pies, homemade rolls, and fried chicken. Her family enjoyed her famous Sunday and holiday meals.

She leaves to rejoice in her memory her devoted husband, Nathan Garthright Holmes of Christiansburg, Virginia; daughter, Rita Diane Holmes Irvin of Christiansburg, Virginia; son, Glen (Michele) Holmes of Christiansburg, Virginia, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina; granddaughter, Davina Dawn Irvin of Manassas, Virginia; grandson, Jonathan “Jon” (Katina) Holmes of Christiansburg, Virginia; her loving sisters: Rosa Lee Thomas Holmes of Christiansburg, Virginia; and Mary (Henry) Catherine Calloway Brown of Columbus, Ohio; great-granddaughters, Kyanna Nashelle Holmes and Desiree Tyesha Holmes of Christiansburg, Virginia, and a host of other relatives and friends.

Per request of the deceased, no funeral service will be held. However, condolences, expressions of sympathy and times of remembrance will be observed during the graveside ceremony, April 12, 2006, at 1 p.m. at Schaeffer Memorial Cemetery, Radford Road, Rt. 11, Christiansburg, Va., 24073. Donations to Schaeffer Memorial Baptist Church, 580 High Street, Christiansburg, Va. 24073 are requested in lieu of flowers. Final rites are entrusted to Penn’s Funeral Home, 248 Randolph Avenue, Pulaski, Virginia, Telephone: 540-980 -1226, FAX 540-980-2929.