Eugene Larry Holmes

Eugene Larry Holmes of Lawrence, Kan., passed away peacefully at the Midland Care Hospice House in Topeka, Kan., Thursday, April 5, 2012, after an eight-year battle with kidney cancer. A kind and loving man, Larry lived life to the fullest valuing experiences over possessions and sharing his joy with countless family and friends throughout his 62 years. Born on May 3, 1949, in Baton Rouge La., the second child of Col. Eugene J. Holmes and Irene Laptad Holmes, Larry grew up experiencing and enjoying many cultures and countries as part of a military family. After Louisiana, he lived at times in Germany, Greece and France before moving to San Rafael, Calif., and enjoying the San Francisco Bay area in the mid-'60s. After high school, Larry moved to Northwest Arkansas, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Arkansas. His first son, Michael Aaron Holmes, was born in Fayetteville in 1971. While Larry was in the Army, his family lived in Fort Benning, Ga., where his second son, Van Alan Holmes, was born in 1974. Larry and his family returned to Fayetteville a couple of years later, but eventually his thirst for adventure took him to the Caribbean, where he lived in the Central American country of Belize. Ultimately, family brought Larry back to Arkansas. He then settled in Lawrence, Kan., where he married Nancy Lynn Brammer on Nov. 17, 2006. Throughout his career, Larry owned and managed many businesses including Bryan Bookkeeping and Tax Service and Holmes and Yates Real Estate in Fayetteville and A Landscape Company in Bentonville, Ark. Larry is survived by his wife, Nancy Holmes of Lawrence; son, Aaron and his wife, Kristin, of Fayetteville; son, Van and his wife, Alison, of Santa Monica, Calif.; stepdaughter, Leslie Price and her husband, Tyler, of Kansas City; stepson, Owen Phariss of Lawrence; his mother, Irene of Fayetteville; older brother, Bob Holmes and his wife, Beth; and younger sister, Linda Burnett and her husband, Bill, of Fayetteville; four grandchildren, Jackson, Spencer and Wyatt Holmes of Fayetteville and Alexander Holmes of Santa Monica, Calif. Services will be held 11 a.m. Monday, April 9, at Moore's Chapel in Fayetteville. Burial will be held at the Fayetteville National Cemetery under the direction of Moore's Chapel, with the Rev. Dr. Ed Farris officiating. Visitation will be 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Monday at Moore's Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested friends and family make donations to the Midland Care Hospice House, 200 SW Frazier Circle, Topeka, KS 66606; or the American Cancer Society, 901 N. University, Little Rock, AR 72207. To sign the online guest book, visit www.mooresfuneralchapel.com.