Velma "Val" Holmes of Thief River Falls, MN, 87, died Friday May 22, 2015 at Thief River Care Center, Thief River Falls, MN A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, May 30, 2015 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, Thief River Falls, MN with Larry Mogen officiating. Velma "Val" L. Holmes was born January 29, 1928, to Veda (Clabaugh) and Harry A. Meyers at Superior, WI. At the age of 4, during the depression, Val and her family moved to a farm near Gemmel, MN. Val attended school the first two years at Mizpah, MN. In 1937, the family then moved to Thief River Falls, MN, where Val attended Northrup School. In 1938, she was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Val graduated from Lincoln High School in 1946 and then attended schools in Minneapolis and Northland Technical College in Thief River Falls. In 1948, Val was united in marriage to Bill Holmes of St. Hilaire, MN. They lived in Wadena, MN, Fargo, ND and Tacoma, WA. They moved back to Thief River Falls where Val worked many years for Wangenstein Jewelry Store, Hall's Flower Shop, hosted Coffee Time for KTRF, was manager of J&B Drug Store Gift Shop and later worked for School District #564 in the speech therapy department as a speech technician. In 1977, she went into real estate, and retired in 1996. Val loved to travel, going to the Holy Lands, traveling Europe. She and her husband enjoyed a trip to England and Scotland as well as Australia. She and her son went to North and South Korea. Another summer, Val took her children and niece Cheryl and camped the Alaska Highway to Anchorage and Kodiak Island. She told her story to Alaska Magazine. She liked sewing, reading and doing Bible research and like to share what she learned from the Bible. Val was a member of The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. She loved studying the Bible and helping others gain Bible knowledge. In later years she learned to quilt, making approximately 15 quilts for family members. Survived by husband, Bill, Thief River Falls, MN; son Stewart J. Holmes; daughter, Cynthia "Thia" Holmes Buscher along with her daughters, Beaujona and Chanel, Minneapolis, MN; sisters, Donna Marvin and Bonnie Wheeler-Nelson; special nieces, Marie and husband, Tom Belland, Menahga, MN, Cheryl Meyers, St. Paul, MN, and Jeannie Aggey, Massachusetts; 27 nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by son, Michael Jon Holmes in 1973; parents; sisters, Ruth Daly and Hazel Foster; brother, Ralph Meyers.