John Earl Holmes' Obituary
John Earl Holmes, age 88, passed away on January 9, 2026, at his home in West Haven, Utah, surrounded by his wife and family. Earl was born on June 14, 1937, at Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah to John and Sarah Harper Holmes. He was the fifth of seven children. Throughout his life, Earl remained in his hometown of Wilson, living on the same land where he was raised.
He learned many lessons and developed many skills growing up on the farm with his mom and dad. He developed a strong work ethic and the ability to fix almost anything. Even as a young man he created and built many of the implements to make work on the family farm easier and more efficient.
After graduating from Weber High School, he completed his degree from Weber College and started working at Hill Air Force Base. He then served as a missionary in the California Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Upon returning from his mission, he went back to work at Hill Field and served in the Army Reserves.
He began dating Janet Graves and soon after they were sealed in the Logan Temple September 22, 1961. They had five children, one son and four daughters, who loved spending time together and enjoyed many activities as a family including: camping, horseback riding, motorcycling, boating, fishing, and gardening.
Anyone who knew Earl probably knew about his amazing garden, which his family and friends benefited from. He grew corn, popcorn, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, grapes, and used almost everything. He hated to see any of it go to waste and offered the extras to anyone who wanted it, always willing to maintain the garden until everyone had what they needed.
He was a great handyman who loved building and fixing things and helped build their first home. He later added a fireplace and a workshop where he loved to spend time working.
He spent many hours in his shed and enjoyed taking things apart to see how they worked. He built a swing set that was enjoyed by his kids and grandkids still to this day. He was often asked for help, and would frequently respond with: “I’m not sure how to do that” and then after some research and much thinking, he would help solve the problem.
He loved the movie “The Sting” and the theme song “The Entertainer” which he would play on the piano. He also played the saxophone, which several of his grandchildren can play.
Serving others brought Earl a great deal of satisfaction and he was always available to simply listen and help. Earl was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served diligently for many years in his respective callings.
Earl is survived by his wife Janet and his children: Annette (Mike) Vaughn, Kent (Marsha) Holmes, Nancy (Randy) Linnell, Christie (Mike) Kunzler, and Stacy (Benji) Whicker. He has 25 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren with one more on the way. He is survived by his brothers Kenneth and Bruce Holmes and preceded in death by his sisters Ann Wade, Ruth Kelley, Lois Hancock and Louise Holmes.
The family would like to thank Dr. Hemmersmeier and the Symbii Hospice team for their exceptional care.
A viewing will be held on Friday, January 16th from 6pm - 8pm at the Wilson 5th Ward Church, 2333 South 2700 West, West Haven, Utah with an additional viewing from 10:00-10:45am on Saturday just prior to the funeral. Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 17th at 11:00am at the same location with interment at the Ogden City Cemetery immediately following.
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