Lucile Frances Holmes

The Peace of Eternal Rest has come in recent days to Lucile (Lucy) Frances Holmes nee Jobe

Born in Carlos, Minnesota April 4, 1932

Left this plane February 18, 2026

Lucy, AKA Mama Holmes (as known in the Asian community), was of the protestant Christian faith and belonged to Kingdom City Church in Des Moines, Iowa.

She was a grateful survivor of both the Polio and Covid-19 pandemics.

She and her husband, Dayton, were deeply involved in the resettlement of Asian refugees in the seventies and eighties. They lived the theology they espoused, seeking to be the embodiment of the words, deeds, and actions of Christ, dedicated to the service of others in all capacities.

She, along with her husband Dayton, whose bonds seemed to transcend death, eagerly espoused the “Let’s Go” attitude she was famous for her entire life. They took the family on the road for weeks at a time, camping every night with Lucy cooking every meal on the camp stove. The family witnessed the wonders of nature, with Dayton at the wheel and Lucy famously navigating via paper map, long before GPS was available. As a family, they eventually traveled through all of the lower 48 states.

She had an absolute love of fishing and garage sales and passed that love on to many. She was armed with fishing tackle and the known location of every local bait shop and roadside restaurant. If she had a spare half hour and was within shouting distance of a body of fishy water, she was there, likely stopping at a garage sale or two along the way.

She was preceded in death by husband Dayton Jerome Holmes and daughter Lois Ann Holmes. Mother to four, grandmother to eight, great grandmother to 16, great great grandmother to two, she was a surrogate maternal figure to most who met her.

Lucy was a vibrant woman, loved by many. Although she will be greatly missed, we are comforted that she now rests safely in the arms of the Eternal God.

Services will be held on March 14 at 11:00 AM, at First Church of the Open Bible, 2200 Beaver Ave, Des Moines, IA 50310.  Interment to follow at 1:30 PM, at Oralabor Cemetery, 515 SE Oralabor Road, Ankeny, Iowa, 50021.  Reception to begin at 4:00 PM, at Kingdom City Church, 1300 Buchanan St, Des Moines, Iowa 50316.

In lieu of flowers, please consider bringing a non-perishable food item to Kingdom city, where it will be added to their food pantry.

To continually honor Lucy’s legacy, please consider helping someone, deliberately and with intent, who needs you. Maybe catch a garage sale or a fish along the way.