Gary L. Holmes, Jr.

Gary L. Holmes, Jr. (51) passed away peacefully at home on December 12th, 2023, with his wife and daughter lovingly by his side. This followed a courageous 14-month battle with brain cancer.

Born March 24th, 1972, in Port Clinton, OH, the son of Gary L. Holmes Sr., birth mother, Denise Edwards. Eldest sibling to Thomas Holmes (Katrina) of Lakewood, Rebecca Holmes of Marblehead, and Heather Holmes of Port Clinton. He grew up in Marblehead, OH and graduated from Danbury High School in 1990.

Gary is survived by his wife, Carrie L. Holmes, daughter Hailey Holmes, siblings, in-laws Dennis & Linda Berhent, many nieces and nephews, and longtime friends, Pete Tietjen and Jeff Dobrowolski. His son, Garrett Benjamin Holmes (2014), and his father, Gary Holmes Sr. (2019), preceded him in death.

In 1991, Gary married his high school sweetheart, Carrie L. Berhent, and joined the U.S. Army, 10th Mountain Division, stationed at Fort Drum in Watertown, NY, and Fort Lewis in Tacoma, WA. His unit served in Cuba, stateside, and engaged in combat in Somalia. He was honorably discharged as a Sergeant in 1997 and returned to Ohio. For over 25 years Gary worked at Wolff Brothers in Sandusky, OH who will be dedicating their expansion in his honor.

An avid green thumb, Gary enjoyed summers spent gardening and landscaping. He found peace in the natural beauty he created and did so with birds and local pollinators in mind. A thoughtful person, Gary also planted memorial trees for friends and family who’d passed. In the fall Gary could be found watching college football (GO BUCKS) with close friends and Army buddies. A known homebody, Gary cherished little moments joking over morning coffee with his wife and daughter. All will dearly miss his generous heart and strength.

In typical Gary style, he requested no formal funeral service. As winter gives way to spring sunshine, a private celebration of life with military honors will be held to commemorate his warm and lively spirit—details to be posted on the funeral home website. Condolences and donations can be made to Neidecker, Crosser & Priesman Funeral Home, where funds will be used for a memorial honoring Gary’s military service.

Awareness on military burn pits can be found at https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/burn-pits.html