Herbert S. Holmes Jr. ’52

Herbert S. Holmes, Jr. ’52 died on July 14, 2011, in Falmouth, Maine.

He was born on March 13, 1927, in Boston, and prepared for college at Deering High School in Portland, the Choate School, Hebron Academy, and Hatch Preparatory School. He served in the Navy in the Philippines during World War II, and was named boatswain of his landing craft because he had grown up on the water and knew how to operate a boat. He attended Bowdoin for one year, then joined his father in business at Cressey and Allen, which later became Commercial Distributors, a longtime fixture in Portland. He was named president of the company in 1972. He served as chairman of the Falmouth Republican Town Committee, president and advising trustee of the Falmouth Memorial Library, secretary of Pine Grove Cemetery, trustee of Hebron Academy, board member at Skillins Greenhouse, board member of KeyBank, president and trustee of First Parish Church, and a director of The Camp Fire Girls. He also served as president of The Sea Point Land company and as a long-time volunteer with the Convetion and Visitor’s Bureau on the Portland waterfront. He was a longtime member of the Portland Yacht Club, the Portland Country Club, and the Cumberland Club, where he served as president. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Bettsane Norris Holmes; two daughters, Bethany Holmes Frank ’79 and Heather Holmes Floyd ’82; and five grandchildren. He was predeceased by a brother, John P. Holmes ’43.

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