Richard Lauriston Holmes, 87, a retired bank officer
whose family has lived in R.I. since 1676 died Sunday at
the Orchard View Manor in East Providence. He was the
husband of Shirley (Severance) Holmes.
Born in
Providence the son of the late Louis R. and Mary
E. (Crossin) Holmes, he was a long time resident of the
city , moving to East Harwich, MA in 1981 and then to
Seekonk in 1984. He has lived in
East Providence since 1994.
An alumnus of
Classical
High School, 1940, Mr.
Holmes graduate From Brown University in 1944. In his 25th
reunion year, he led his class as Marshall at the Brown Commencement Exercises.
From 1944-1951, Mr. Holmes worked in the Trust
Department Operations for Blackstone Canal Bank in
Providence and its successor, Providence National Bank.
In 1951 he joined R.I. Hospital Trust Bank where he
served as trust Audit Supervisor for 19 years and from
which he retired in 1981 as the Safe Deposit Officer.
While living on Cape Cod, Mr. Holmes worked as a bagger
in Ellis Market in Orleans.
Keenly interested in Firefighting, Mr. Holmes had been
an auxiliary Firefighter with Hose 18,
Broad St.
Providence, an Associate Member of
the Pawtuxet Volunteer Fire Company #1. He was a charter
member of Canteen #1 and was the first treasurer on the
Special Signal Fire Association of Providence. In 1960
he was appointed by Governor John Chafee to serve on a
seven member commission to present plans for
establishing a statewide Firefighter’s Training Academy. He was a member of the 100 Club
of R.I.
An avid Republican, Mr. Holmes served as Secretary and
later as Vice Chair of the 9th Ward
Republican Committee from 1952 to 1964. He also served
as a volunteer Service Academy Interviewer in the Providence office of Sen. John Chafee.
Mr. Holmes was President of the
First
Universalist Church in Providence from 1964 to 1981?? And was a
former deacon of the Church. Mr. Holmes was also a
communicant of St Martin Episcopal Church in
Providence and later St. Stephen’s in Barrington.
He was a member of the Harmony Lodge #9 A.F. & A.M., St.
John Commandery #1, the Scottish Rite, Valley of Providence (32 Degree). He was also a
member of Ionia Chapter 317 O.E.S. and Gaspee Order,
Swords of Bunker Hill.
Youth work was essential to Mr. Holmes. He had been a
Sunday School Teacher at Christ Episcopal Church in
Harwich and St. John’s
Church in
Barrington and a
former counselor for the Merit Badge Program of the
Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America. He was a
charter member of the Masonic Youth Recreation
Committee. In 1975, he was named Rhode Island DeMolay
Advisor of the year. He was devoted to Fidelity
Chapter, Order of DeMolay and served on its advisory
Council from 1943 to 1979. both as “Dad” advisor and
Chairman. He had received DeMolay’s Highest honor:
Chevalier Degree, Cross of Honor and Legion of Honor
Degree.
A Lineal descendant of Elder William Brewster, Mr.
Holmes was a member of the R.I. society of Mayflower
Descendants.
He was a former member of the board of Steere House,
Home for the Aged in Providence and was a friend of the Doolittle
home for Aged in Foxboro. He was a former member of the
Brown University Sports Foundation, the Brown Football
Association, the Lincoln School Foundation and the St
Andrew School Foundation.
The funeral will be Private
