Emern A. ‘Sherlock’ Holmes Jr.

By Staff
Nov. 2, 2008
A fireman’s funeral for Emern Argus “Sherlock” Holmes Jr., 79, of Eva will be Thursday (today), Nov. 6, at 2 p.m. at Hamby’s Chapel United Methodist Church with the Revs. Stanley Clark and Jerrol Smith officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing.
Burial with full fireman’s honors will be in the adjoining cemetery.
Mr. Holmes died Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008, at Decatur General Hospital. He was born May 17, 1929, in Morgan County to Emern and Clyde Maddux Holmes, the first of 12 children. He was a member of Hamby’s Chapel United Methodist Church and Eva Lions Club. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a fireman during the Korean War. Following an honorable discharge, he worked at Chemstrand, later Monsanto Co. and Solutia, where he retired as fire chief after 31-1/2 years of service. He was instrumental in developing the Eva Volunteer Fire Department and served as its chief for many years until his health prevented him from firefighting. His favorite pastime was meeting and talking to friends at Eva. He was considered to be the unofficial “information officer” of Eva.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Bonnie Green Holmes of Eva; two sons, Ray Cheatham of Eva and Kenneth Holmes of Falkville; three brothers, Hughes Holmes and wife Carolyn, Zack Holmes and wife Jeanette and John Holmes and wife Regena, all of Eva; eight sisters, Mary Edith Griffin, Barbara Neal and husband Bill, Martha Bentley and husband Jim, Judy Fortenberry and Sandy McCleskey and husband Jerry, all of Eva, Dorothy Oglesby and husband Jim of LaVergne, Tenn., Alice Johnson and husband Boyd of Statesboro, Ga. and Cathy Turner and husband Ray of Trinity; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Members of the Eva Volunteer Fire Department will be pallbearers and honorary pallbearers.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to Hamby’s Chapel Building Fund, P.O. Box 247, Eva, AL 35621.