James F Holmes

James F. (“Jim”) Holmes was born in Madison, Wisconsin at St. Mary’s Hospital on July 28, 1936 to Frank & Helen (Acker) Holmes. The following day at the same hospital, his wife to be Virginia Ann (Hill) Holmes was born. They didn’t officially meet until 6th Grade at Blessed Sacrament school. Jim & Virginia would eventually date during high school, and were married on April 12, 1958. The couple had seven children together: Gail Holmes Allen of Fort Worth, Texas, Steven James Holmes (deceased), David Holmes of Longmont, Linda Holmes of Hygiene, Jay (and Kyla) Holmes of Longmont, Jeff (and Suzanne) Holmes of Longmont, and Kara Holmes of Denver. Grandchildren include Kendall & Kristen Holmes, Alexa Holmes Ballard, Fiona & Finley Holmes, and Christian & Julia Lopez.

Jim graduated from Edgewood High School in Madison, Wisconsin, Class of 1954 where he was an All-City athlete in baseball, basketball, and football. Jim was named Edgewood’s Greatest Athlete of the Decade for the 1950’s. In 2010 he was named to the City of Madison’s list of Best High School all-around athletes by the Wisconsin State Journal. Jim was also inducted into the prestigious Straka-D’Orazio Hall of Fame.

He went on to the University of Wisconsin where he joined the football team. After playing on the freshmen team in 1954, Jim spent two years serving in the U.S. Navy, stationed at Norfolk, Virginia. He returned to Wisconsin in 1957 to become a three- time letterman as a Tight End and Defensive End, and a two-way starter on Wisconsin’s 1959 Big Ten Championship team that played in the 1960 Rose Bowl. He also was a boxer at Wisconsin, competing in the heavyweight class.

Jim remained active in athletic activities throughout adulthood, playing rec league basketball, flag football, and competitive racquetball. In 1972, Jim was one of the founding members of Fox Hill Country Club and eventually became an avid golfer. He was a single digit handicap for a period of time, and continued to play golf with his regular group until a few years ago. Jim was well known for his generous “gimme” putts and a personal crusade to speed up the pace of play on the golf course. He was very proud of the hole in one he made in 1992. He passed on his love of sports and competition to his children, teaching them how to throw a football, shoot a basketball, play tennis, and ride horses.

Jim’s life-long love for horses started in high school when he began competing in calf roping. He eventually migrated into riding cutting horses. Jim was passionate about cutting horses, both competing and raising them. As a breeder of cutting horses, Jim put together the foundation of what is now the 2nd All Time leading industry sire and leading broodmare sire, Dual Rey. His horses were his extended family which he made a point to visit daily while he physically could. Jim served as president of the Western States Cutting Horse Association and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2002.

After college, Jim joined his father and brothers in their family business running a Michelin tire franchise in Madison. In 1971, he decided to venture out on his own and bought two Michelin tire stores in Colorado, moving with his family to Longmont. He eventually owned and operated nine Michelin stores stretching from Pueblo to Cheyenne. In the late 1970’s, Jim began selling off the tire stores and entered the oil and gas business. He started Colorado Gas Compression which he operated for nearly 20 years. Jim continued as an entrepreneur for the rest of his business career, and loved getting involved with small companies in a variety of industries. He co-owned and operated businesses in trucking, residuals management, janitorial services, contract manufacturing, and real estate amongst others. Jim loved all aspects of owning and operating a business, and continued going to his office daily until he was 80 years old.

Jim was an active member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. He was instrumental in several fund raising campaigns since joining the parish in 1971, and served on the finance committee for a number of years. He also supported his wife Virginia to help launch the Longmont Community Foundation in the early 90’s.

Jim was known for his sense of humor and sharp wit. You always had to be on your toes when you were around him. “Big Jim” was a large presence and had a significant impact on everyone he met. He was never afraid to tell you how things were.

Jim is survived by his children and grandchildren, sister Ann Mary (and Joe) Boberschmidt of Longmont , and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, and brothers George Holmes & Will Holmes.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to:

The Steven Holmes Fund

c/o Longmont Community Foundation

636 Coffman Street, Suite #203

Longmont, CO 80502

The family would like to thank the warm & caring staff at LifeCare Center, where Jim made friends over the past 15 months. They also wish to thank the compassionate care givers from Suncrest Hospice.