Benjamin Kyle Holmes II (1932 - 2014)

Born 8 Oct 1932 in Trenton, Gibson, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Died 27 Jan 2014 at age 81 in Gibson, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

Benjamin Kyle Holmes, Jr

Birth: Oct. 8, 1932 Trenton Gibson County Tennessee, USA Death: Jan. 27, 2014 Gibson County Tennessee, USA

Ben Kyle Holmes, Jr. was the son of the late Benjamin Kyle Holmes, Sr. and Annie Clare Dennison Holmes of Trenton, TN. He graduated from Peabody High School in 1951 and served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps at Quantico, VA. Ben attended the University of Tennessee and Tennessee Tech earning a BS in Engineering, which was followed by post-graduate work in the emerging field of rocketry and propulsion.

When President John F. Kennedy ushered in the “Space Age,” Ben moved his growing family to Tullahoma, TN, where he first worked at the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC), and then on to Huntsville, AL where he worked for Brown Engineering (later Teledyne) in conjunction with NASA. Ben was forever grateful to have participated in the space program during its heyday. As a rocket propulsion engineer, he worked on all of the Apollo missions that resulted in the moon landings. He also worked on the Space Shuttle. Ben always believed his contribution during this historic time to be his greatest achievement.

Ben was married to his high school sweetheart, the late Patricia Lee Nowell Holmes, for 58 years. They had three children before relocating back to their native Gibson County in 1977 to care for their aging families.

Ben’s hobbies included painting and flying. He was an experienced pilot and served on the Gibson County Airport Board for many years. Before his illness, Ben was an active member of both the Trenton and Milan communities. He was a former president of the Milan Chamber of Commerce. Ben also enjoyed a lifelong interest in history and astronomy – a love he happily shared with his children and grandchildren.

Ben was preceded in death by his parents, Benjamin and Annie Clare Holmes, his long-time friend, side-kick and brother-in-law, Jack Nowell, his sister-in-law, Esther C. Nowell, and his beloved wife, Patricia Nowell Holmes.

Ben is survived by his three children: Debra (Charles) Ghigna, David (Melanie) Holmes and Diana (Michel) Levaton. He is also survived by two grandsons, Chip Ghigna of Homewood, AL and Benjamin Levaton, one great granddaughter Charlotte Rose Ghigna and two nieces, Beth (Bill) Haxton of Columbia, SC and Holly (Todd) Nowell Connors of Los Angeles, CA.

Family links: Parents: Benjamin Kyle Holmes (1909 - 1987) Annie Clare Dennison Holmes (1908 - 2003)

Spouse: Patricia Lee Nowell Holmes (1933 - 2011)

Burial: Oakland Cemetery Trenton Gibson County Tennessee, USA

Sources

Ben K Holmes United States Census, 1940, Ward 16, Memphis, Civil District 2, Shelby, Tennessee, United States

Benjamin Kyle Holmes, Jr., Findagrave.com