Marjorie S. Holmes

Marjorie Serena (Hansen) Holmes, age 95, of Storm Lake, Iowa formerly of Alta, Iowa passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at the Newell Good Samaritan Center in Newell. Memorial services will be held Thursday, November 17, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. at Bethel Baptist Church in Newell. Burial will be prior to the service in the Buena Vista Memorial Park Cemetery in Storm Lake. Visitation will take place Wednesday, November 16, 2016 from 5-7:00 p.m. at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. The family suggests in lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Bethel Baptist Church, 313 Hwy 7, Newell, IA 50568.The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements. Marj was born in rural Alta, Iowa, the second daughter of Anna and Thomas Hansen. She grew up on the family farm north of Alta with sisters Maxine “Mickey” (Robert) Huseman of Storm Lake, Iowa and Mardelle (Richard) Holmes of Hastings, Minnesota. She attended Fairview Consolidated School and graduated valedictorian of her class. She remembered riding to school in a horse-drawn school bus. Marj recently celebrated her 95th birthday. Until his death in 2010 shortly before their 70th anniversary, Marj was the dedicated wife of Donald “Don” Holmes, Sr. They farmed together on a number of farms in the Alta/Storm Lake area until retiring and moving to Lake Pointe Villa in Storm Lake in 2004. Marj’s philosophy of moving was to scrub every corner of the house she was moving into, hang up the curtains, and then it was home. She said she could just whistle and everything would jump into a box. Marj also worked at Alf’s Manufacturing in Storm Lake training new employees and sewing samples for new products. She retired from there in 1986. Don and Marj enjoyed travel, surprising their children and friends with postcards from Australia, New Zealand and Africa. They also made several visits to their children who all live out of state. Marj wondered why they all had to move so far away! Marj was a professional seamstress and a prolific knitter, making sure every baby in her extended family received a “grandma-made blanket,” and the rest of the family, beautiful afghans. She also made many hand-knitted doilies from original German and Danish patterns that required the use of five needles to get started. After washing and starching them she recruited Don to help stretch and pin them on a frame to dry. Marj also found time to read, owning hundreds of paperbacks. She especially enjoyed western and Christian inspirational novels. Marj was the mother of 5 children: Daphne (Dwayne) Hofschulte of North Pole, Alaska; Donald, Jr. of Virgil, South Dakota; Dwain (Lois) of Makuma, Ecuador; Darrylin Sunderland of Auburn, Washington and Dennis who died in infancy. Her family includes nine grandchildren, seventeen great grandchildren, one great-great grandchild and numerous nieces and nephews. Her family lives in Alaska, California, Ecuador, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas and Washington. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one son and one great-granddaughter. But most of all, Marj was a child of God, living all of her adult life as a Christian woman. She was active in the music ministry at Center Grove Evangelical Free Church in the rural Alta area, playing piano and organ. When Center Grove closed, she and Don moved to Hope Evangelical Free Church in Storm Lake and finally to Bethel Baptist Church in Newell.

Marjorie S. Holmes

July 24, 1921 - November 12, 2016