Earl Holmes

Waterford — Earl C. Holmes, of Quaker Hill, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, New London.

He was born on Nov. 19, 1921, in New London, the son of Earl C. and Sarah (Oliver) Holmes. Earl was married to Phyllis (Harrington) Holmes on Feb. 14, 1944; she passed away in 2013.

Earl began working two jobs at a very young age carting bananas and oranges for the New London Banana Company and delivering newspapers on his paper route in Quaker Hill to help support his family during the Great Depression. With his hard work and strong will he helped his parents pay off their mortgage and helped to keep them afloat. Upon graduating from Chapman Tech he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was a World War II veteran. He later went on to work at Pfizer for over 40 years.

A hardworking man with a love of master wood carving, Earl built his home in Quaker Hill with his own hands in 1955 and there was where he raised his five children. He was a member of the Connecticut Woodcarvers Association and the Mystic Wood Carvers.

He is survived by his daughters, Barbara Fuller and Pamela Coleda; his sons Craig Holmes and Thomas Holmes; 11 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren; two brothers, Raymond and Irving; and three sisters, Sarah, Marge and Olive.

He was predeceased by a son, Jeffrey Holmes.

Byles Memorial Home, 99 Huntington St., New London, is assisting the family with the arrangements, which are to be private.

Donations in Earl’s memory may be made to the Leukemia Foundation, GPO Box 9954, Hartford, CT 06150.

Please visit www.byles.com to sign the guest book.