Obituary of Paul D. Holmes

Paul D. Holmes, age 77, passed away peacefully, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, surrounded by the love of his family.  Paul was born on June 14, 1945, in Kankakee, IL, to the late Harry and Opal (nee Posing) Holmes. Paul was raised in Joliet and graduated from Joliet Central High School as a proud member of the Class of 1964.  He stayed active in the community as a member of Joliet Moose Lodge #300, the Moose Legion, and the Moran Club.  Paul honored his faith as a regular member of the Grace Methodist Church, where he married the love of his life and baptized his children. He lovingly provided for his family during his career which included owning his own grocery business, Holmes Brothers in Lockport, and retired from Cub Foods as Produce Manager.  After a ninety day retirement, Paul decided that he was not a man who enjoyed having idle hands.  He then chose to embark on his bonus career working with Chignoli Auto Sales, transporting cars.

Paul was affectionately known as “Pop Pop” by his grandchildren.  He took the passion that he honed as a sports fan following the Chicago Cubs baseball, NASCAR, Dale Earnhart, Sr. #3, and Chicago Bears, and applied it to never missing one of his grandchildren’s sporting events.  Paul loved to fish and would travel north to Canada twice a year for fishing trips.  He also enjoyed traveling to Las Vegas with his wife Jane for some gambling and entertainment.

Paul is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Jane E. (nee Ghilain) Holmes; sons, David R. (Jenny) Holmes and Brian K. Holmes; grandchildren, Kyle, Matthew and Hayley; his great-grandchild, Nova; brother, Roger (Rosemary) Holmes; and brother-in-law, Wayne (Janet) Ghilain.

Funeral Services for Paul D. Holmes will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black (at Essington) Rd.  Interment will follow at Woodlawn Memorial Park.  Visitation will be held at the funeral home chapel on Monday from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Family requests that all in attendance wear your favorite sports attire.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name to the charity of your choice.

For more information, please 815-741-5500 or visit his Memorial Tribute page at www.fredcdames.com where you can share a favorite memory or leave an online condolence.