Thomas Barney Holmes

Thomas Barney Holmes, age 70, of Erie, passed away peacefully on April 10, 2026. Born in Anchorage, Alaska, June 21, 1955, he was son of the late Robert and Joanne (Rarick) Holmes. 

Growing up in Erie, PA he attended Blessed Sacrament, Roosevelt Junior High, and Strong Vincent High. After graduation, he joined the US Navy, serving as a Seabee in Okinawa, Japan. He then attended Pasadena City College and raised three daughters in California. Throughout his life, he worked in the construction trade, specializing in woodworking and carpentry. 

His lifelong passion for sports started with Build Better Boys Baseball and wrestling in college, and grew to include triathlons, golf, and fishing, among many others. When he returned to Erie, he cared for his mother. During those years he enjoyed gardening hot pepper varieties and watching history documentaries. After suffering a stroke, he moved to The Pennsylvania Soldiers and Sailors home, where he was known by the staff for his humor, gratitude, and his wealth of knowledge.

Tom is remembered with love and survived by his daughters: Jenette Cementina, her husband Jacob, and sons Thomas and Miles, of Templeton, CA, Elizabeth Allison, her husband Chad, and children Gabrielle and Theodore, of Loomis, CA, and Rachel Doyle, and her husband James, of Irvine, CA, and his siblings Colleen, Mike, and Jay Holmes, of Erie.

Private Arrangements have been entrusted to Burton Quinn-Scott Cremation and Funeral Services, West Ridge, 3801 W. 26th St., Erie. Private burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society.