Emma Holmes

Emma Holmes, age 64, of McHenry, passed away on February 6, 2022.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Eva June Booker; her father, Archie Leon Holmes, Sr; her siblings, Archie Leon Holmes, Jr, Robert Leon Holmes, Christine Holmes Garcia, and Marie Holmes Rodgers; her grandparents, Willie Mae Seymore and Arnold Seymore.

She is survived by her siblings, Sidney Holmes (Shirley), Edward Holmes (Linda Welch), and Tiny Walker (Willie Walker); and her nieces and nephews, Kelly Lum, Lee Holmes, Sara Broussard, Jon Rodgers, Tony Garcia (Heather), Sean Walker, and Miles MacElmsn.

Emma was a current resident in Biloxi and was a long time resident at the South MS Regional Center in Long Beach where she worked stuffing envelopes.  She collected notebooks, pens, and watches and she loved Cokes and chocolate.  Emma loved Jesus and her favorite song was “Jesus Loves Me.”  Many of her social workers, regular workers, and nurses took her to church on Sunday’s where she loved to worship Jesus.

Sidney and his wife Shirley were honored to take on her role as guardian to Emma in 1999 when her mother, Eva June Booker, passed away.  They would get her on holidays, Christmas, some Easters, and especially her birthday on May 16th.  They would visit many times at the group home.  Shirley had the special honor of working at the home in the 1990s while she was going to school for her associate’s degree in Human Services.  She had never been around mentally challenged people before and was quite afraid of them but didn’t know why.  She found them to be the most wonderful people on earth.

They family would like to give special thanks to the Long Beach campus and the Biloxi campus for taking such good care of her.  She felt like that was her home.  Emma would visit Sidney and Shirley but was always ready to go back to her real home and family.  Thanks to all of the doctors, nurses, social workers (especially Helena), house keepers, and cooks.  Many of them wrote letters for her and helped her write her own.  Every letter would say “Love, Love, Love” and she would sign her name Emma Holmes.  Also, thanks to Jennifer (nurse at the Biloxi Group Home) for the loving care she gave Emma near the end.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, from 10 - 11 am at the Riemann Family Funeral Homes, 11280 Three Rivers Rd., Gulfport.  The funeral service will be at 11 am in the funeral home chapel.  Interment will be in Pine Ridge Gardens at Evergreen Cemetery.