07/15/2025
Donnis Nell Kendrick Holmes
July 24, 1927 – July 4, 2025
Faulkner Mountain, Marshville, NC
Donnis was born in Shelby, NC, the second of seven precocious children. And there you have the genesis of the tone throughout this tribute. Being a tribe of offspring that early on saw the enduring benefit of wit, they never passed up the chance to have a chuckle at their own expense. The value of humor, in the face of both adversity and the best of times, was passed on to further generations. Donnis would have approved.
Out of sheer stubbornness, or possibly excellent genes, our mother refused to fly away, living for close to 98 years. Rumor has it that, being a practical and generally polite person, she chose to check out before her birthday thereby avoiding any fuss made over her special day. Many a birthday beach trip – think German chocolate cake, Breyers ice cream, and dance parties – comes to mind.
Named Donis at birth she soon added a second “n” to discourage teachers and other nearsighted individuals from calling her Doris. Far from achieving her goal of being referred to by her actual name, this then resulted in her being called Dennis. At this point she had the good sense to give up. Donnis it was.
Our mother was one of a flock of attractive raven-haired children born to a couple later referred to forever more as Gammy and Paw Paw by several generations. These black-haired beauties were indistinguishable one from the other, no matter the gender, owing to their identical bowl-cut hairdos, the likes of which can be seen on re-runs of the Three Stooges. Moe? Curly? Larry? Who knows.
In a family of clever children, Donnis was known for her love of the written word. So much so that she was inclined to disappear from chopping cotton in the blistering sun with her sibs, in favor of hiding in the cool barn to read. This practice incurred the wrath of both her siblings and her parents. Her voracious reading, however, ultimately paid off by being awarded salutatorian of her high school graduating class. She never completely forgave the valedictorian whom she considered to have unfairly bumped her from the top seat.
College, alas, was not in the cards for our mother, having been diverted to an irresistible job opportunity in Charlotte, by her daddy. Legend says this occurred as the two trundled down the literal road to higher learning, Donnis packed and ready for college life. Later, she joined coworkers moving to Washington, DC, to seek civil service jobs after the war. WWII, for you youngsters.
In DC Donnis met and married handsome and droll Marine Veteran, Richard Holmes, ultimately moving to Miami Springs to raise their three spectacular daughters. She and the rest of us never fully recovered from losing him when he suffered a heart attack at the age of 46. “Sire” remained a strong presence in her heart and in the culture of our family in the years to come. Together, Donnis and Richard, despite difficult and turbulent years, created a loving and stable home for all us girls, brimming with memorable holidays, birthdays, friends, and family. Our home was the site of frequent Sunday meals and special occasions to which Sire’s AA friends were invited. To our mother, “family” included everyone.
As a young widow and during the years before, this amazing woman nearly single-handedly ran our household and raised the three of us, all while working in the library at Palm Springs North Elementary School. The most fitting of professions for a bookworm.
Grammis/Gram/Mommer/Mom/Donnis spent her last eighteen years with youngest daughter, Molly, and her family. It’s hard to express the depth of gratitude we feel for these dear people who cared for and nurtured our mom day in and day out, under the sheltering canopy of merry chaos – adults, seven children, dogs, cats, chickens – which comprises life at The Mountain.
Donnis will be remembered for her strength of purpose, her walk with the Lord, her love of family of all shapes and sizes, and her quiet, gentle manner. Unless provoked. We generally knew better than to poke the teddy bear. This was a lesson absorbed more slowly by the first born, of course. But she is grateful that our mother lived long enough for us to witness the congeniality and motherliness Mom could sustain when unprovoked. The eldest daughter also recalls how proud she was to have the youngest and prettiest mother in each of her classes, from second to sixth grade. To that, Uncle John would have said “Arrrr” in a stage whisper. That scoundrel.
Thank you, Mom, for setting a clear and enduring example of what a smart, strong, and nurturing mother can be. We will miss you every moment of every day and love you always. May we each carry the light of your love as we journey on.
As long-lived individuals are prone to do, Donnis was predeceased by many of those dear to her, including her husband Richard (Sire) Mead Holmes; parents, Thomas Grady Kendrick and Effie Pearl Moore Kendrick; sister Billie Eugenia (Jean) Kendrick Reynolds; brothers Thomas Lawson Kendrick and Roger Hilton Kendrick; brothers-in-law Mitch Clary, John Reynolds, Wray Greene, Dan Poston, and Jack Ferree; and son-in-law Ronald Bringle.
She is survived by an impressive – in quantity if not quality:) – group of descendants who will miss her dearly: Her daughters Molly Holmes Faulkner, Karen Holmes Bringle, and Susan Holmes Shier Lowry; their life-partners William Faulkner, Bruce Wiley, and Stephen Lowry; ex-son-in-law Gerald Shier; and her grandchildren Trilby Shier Newkirk, Leslie and Christopher Stanley, Caleb Faulkner, Seth Faulkner, Eden and Drew Fleming, Susie Faulkner, Abbey Faulkner, Jonathan Faulkner, and Joseph Faulkner. Donnis would want her beloved great-grandchildren, of whom she often spoke, mentioned as well: Anabelle Stanley, Camden Stanley, and Liam Newkirk, as well as her dear and delightful companion, Christina (Ralph) Closs. She is also survived by four sisters: Marilyn Ferree, Nancy Clary, Norma Poston, and Nell Kendrick.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Samaritan’s Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC, 28607 (samaritanspurse.org) A memorial gathering will be held in Shelby, NC on October 4th. In September, please check the Kendrick family Shelby NC page (administrator: Patricia Poston) for details.
A memorial service will be held at a later date in Shelby, NC.
Morgan & Son Funeral Home is serving the family of Mrs. Holmes.
