Ruth A. Holmes

Ruth Ada Holmes, 85, died Dec. 5 at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer.

Funeral Services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, December 12, at Valley Funeral Home’s Palmer Chapel, 2020 N. Hemmer Road in Palmer. Pastor Tim Carrick will officiate and interment will follow at Wasilla-Aurora Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Bruce Holmes, Michael Holmes, Michael Calkins, Rodney Bettis, Greg Musick and Aaron Maupin.

Holmes was born Aug. 13, 1922 in New Sweden, Maine, and attended Caribou High School in Caribou, Maine, and New England Baptist Hospital in Boston for nursing school. She served as a cadet nurse during World War II and came to Alaska in 1970, settling in Palmer.

She worked at New England Baptist Hospital, Valley Hospital and Palmer Video Cache. Although she was a nurse, she retired many years ago to be with her family and friends, and to enjoy her time knitting, reading, making peanut butter fudge and chocolate chip cookies, and watching Nelson Eddy movies.

Her family wrote: “She was a generous, caring and loving person. She was always cheerful and all of the kids in the neighborhood knew her as Nana. She was not only our mom and Nana, but also our best friend. We will miss her so much.”

Holmes is survived by her daughters and their husbands, Heather and Pete Calkins of Dallas, Pa., and Sandra Holmes and Roger Austin of Wasilla; son Bruce Holmes and wife, Carol, of Walpole, Mass.; granddaughters April (Greg) Musick, Karen (Dave) Sullivan, Susan (Scott) Simpson, Maria Paulus, Kathleen, Samantha, Brandy and Bethany Holmes; grandsons Michael Calkins, Billy, Michael, Christopher and Daniel (Kelly) Holmes; four great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and all of the other adopted grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Edward, and son David.

While the family welcomes flowers at the service, memorial contributions may be made in her memory to the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 3903 Taft Dr. Anchorage, AK 99517 (www.alaskabvi.org).

Valley Funeral Homes & Crematory of Palmer & Wasilla is assisting the family.