Frank chosen as Colorguard for President Eisenhower in 1959 

You both always looked so happy together!  The love you shared was amazing.  My mom was so devoted to you.   When Frank was in the Rehab center the last couple of years of his life, my mom would go visit him twice a day, every single day without fail.  That was what she looked forward to each day.  Frank was the love of her life!

I remember so many nights when we (the Mueller kids) were in town and we would all gather together to eat dinner and play cards afterwards.  It was a favorite thing to do with my mom and Frank.

This photo is of Frank at his 80th Birthday Party at Carrabba's near Winter Park.  He looked so nice in his Tuxedo shirt and I remember that he had a great time!  My mom wrote a poem for him that she read that evening.  Everyone had a wonderful night!

Mom and Frank looking so happy together, as always!

This photo is of my son, Nick, with Frank and my mom sometime in the Fall (probably around 2007).  I remember how much Frank enjoyed Nick and was always interested in Nick's activities and his life.

Over the last 25 years, I experienced and heard crazy tales of the life of Frank Holmes and feel beyond blessed to have known him along with his family, gracious wife and friends I now know because of him. Many days in the office turned into storytime with Frank where I learned all about his amazing life. He was truly an original cowboy bad-ass that ran his family farm at a very young age after his father left. He worked his tail off until the "ghost" upstairs set his family free and allowed them to move into a better life.

Frank served in the Air Force and was Air Force Police on a tropical oasis in Guam worlds away from Minnesota. He looked like a giant compared to natives there and got drafted to play big football game for AF. Amazing. After leaving the AF he held a pluthora of jobs in all different kinds of professions. He got into RE after moving to Florida, acquired Brokers License and bought/sold numerous properties over the years; some even exist to this day! Master of the game, he knew how to close all kinds of deals and taught his Agents valuable lessons of what to do and what not to do; many examples personal deals.

From the day I met him until the day he died, Frank always praised God and prayed aloud before every meal while he could. How ironic that he died the same week as Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter as he got to meet Jesus and walk with him in death while we remember the death and rebirth of Christ. 

Right now he is an Angel to all of us who knew and loved him in this life. Be sure to stay alert for any heavenly pranks or signs from Frank while we wait to say our final good-byes. After that he will be there to assist and guide us from eternity so let's start working on lotto numbers! I pray that he is happy and at peace now that he has been released from his Earth body. Hopefully he is also with his deer and dog from Guam and electric cat in Minnesota. RIP PAPA FRANK!! You will remain in my heart and soul forever. BYE 4 NOW . . .

Athena & Frank at the National American Miss Pageant

Words cannot express the emotional and physical loss I feel now that Frank has left this plane and no doubt entered Heaven. My sorrow is also sprinkled with happiness as the strong, hard working man I knew and loved as a Dad would never have wanted to be in the state he was at the end.  At last he is FREE from living in a nursing home and enjoying eternal life with Sweet Jesus! Not to mention family, friends and animals who loved him. I hope Chewbaka is with him right now. He loved to go see Frank and took  him to the office with me often.

When I first met Frank I was looking for a job and admittedly a bit of a lost soul in 1997. My fiance was killed in a car crash and company I worked for was shut down. Saw ad in good old Pennysaver and applied immediately-especially when I found out it was right across the street from where I lived! My first impression of Frank was like walking into the Principal's office  as those blue eyes seemed to see right into my soul. He hired me and the rest is history. After a few months he encouraged me to get my RE License and I soon became an Agent and remain one to this day. Thank You Frank!!

Took leave to have my Daughter, Athena, in 1999. She wasn't even 2 months old when Frank told me he needed my help at office. Asked me to come in and bring Athena. This was one of the coolest things Frank did for me as she became the office baby; complete with her own office, playpen and stroller. Frank was like a Grandpa to her as much as a Dad to me. One picture I attached is Frank and Athena at a National American Miss Pageant. Dads or Grandpas were asked to walk contestants on stage and announce their contestants by name only. Frank went as her Grandpa. Not Frank though after slightly tripping onto stage he went into total MC mode and was  "How's everyone doing tonight? Happy to see you. Welcome to NAM. Introducing Athena Love!" Typical goofy, lovable Frank. Great Memory Athena and I will cherish forever! (Part 1 of 2).                     

Because of this man I have God's greatest gift in my life, my son, Ryan Holmes. 

Frank James Holmes 
“The Troubadour”
https://youtu.be/4VW_gYp4PUo

To my Holmes Family,...
You all know me pritty well as Frank and I spent most of almost 23 years as partners in Crime! Lol! 
I prayed one night for help from God. The next day I met Frank and purchased a property from him. He hired me to remodel and restore homes he would later rent or sale. Frank was a character indeed!
He had two sides like a coin and you Dident know what side you were gonna get untill the coin dropped. You had better know how to respond Lol! I...Did. you eather hated him or loved him but in the end, you did appreciate his efforts, I called him my Friend.



Part 2/2:

I will miss him deeply but I take comfort in knowing that he lived a life filled with love, laughter and joy. His suffering is at an end and for that I am grateful. It was hard to see such a powerful man become a shell of himself. He will always hold a special place in my heart and I will never forget the impact he had on my life. I’m more like him than I’d like to admit sometimes.

So I hope we meet again in heaven pilgrim. May you rest in peace and may your memory live on forever. Love you Dad.

-Ryan

My heart is filled with a mix of emotions. I am grateful for the time we had with him, yet I can't help but wish that I could have known my dad as the young man he once was, before I was even born.
From the stories I've heard and the pictures I've seen, my dad was a man of many talents and passions, a man who lived several lives in one lifetime. He was an adventurer, an entrepreneur, a hard worker, and a man who could find humor in the smallest things. 

As a young man, my dad traveled the world with the Air Force, exploring new places and meeting new people. He has lived in the cold great white north and the hot and swampy south. I wish I could have been there, to witness firsthand his fearless spirit, his boundless energy, and his relentless pursuit of success. I wish I could have known that Frank Holmes.

I only knew him as an older man, but we can all attest to the fact that he was a kind person. Who despite his age always worked with his own two hands until the end. He had a warm smile that lit up a room and a heart that was filled with compassion.

It wasn't until later in his life that he found the love of his wife Nancy and we saw a new side to him. He was a man who was truly in love and it was nice to see.He was a devoted husband and they made a beautiful couple together. They would often be seen holding hands, sharing a laugh, and simply enjoying each other's company.

His wife brought out the best in him and he was different from how I knew him as a single man. He was a man who was finally happy and content with his life. He lived his life to the fullest and made the most of every moment he had. He was a true example of how it's never too late to find love and happiness. (Part 1/2)

My father has always been a big part of my life. He has shaped alot of the ways I think and feel about this life we live.  He was a man of faith in God but like us all, he did not always make the right choices. Thanks be to God for his grace and mercy. I know in my heart that he is in heaven with our other family members who have already passed on. I love you daddy and I know you will be there to greet me when it's my turn to come home.

There are so many memories. I don't even know how to choose one. Probably the most poignant memories are from my childhood when my father moved to the most northern regions of Minnesota along the Canadian border and took over the town of International farms. He bought hotels, furniture, stores, natural glass and plumbing service, and many more ventures. He was the hardest working man I ever knew he was fearless, and was never free afraid to take on anything. Me and my brother saw a lot in those days too many things to even put down here he was an extraordinary man who beat to his own drum. 

A few words from a song I wrote in honor of my father. Frank James Holmes 

He won and lost riches and burned a few bridges, but he always did it. His way, this world won't be the same will always remember your name, will never forget you, Frank James.

OBITUARY

Frank James Holmes

June 23, 1934 – April 3, 2023

Baldwin-Fairchild Goldenrod/Winter Park Funeral Home

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