Army Sergeant Jeremiah "Jay" Holmes
April 27, 1976 ~ March 29, 2004
Operation Iraqi Freedom
744th Transportation Company
New Hampshire Army National Guard
27, of North Berwick, ME; killed in action when his vehicle hit an improvised
explosive device, then fell from a bridge near Balad, Iraq.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
744th Transportation Company
New Hampshire Army National Guard
27, of North Berwick, ME; killed in action when his vehicle hit an improvised
explosive device, then fell from a bridge near Balad, Iraq.
Submitted by his family:
Jeremiah, known to many simply as 'Jay', truly enjoyed life to the fullest extent possible. His greatest passions were riding motorcycles, watching the Patriots and Red Sox, music and time spent with family and friends.
Family celebrations were cherished moments in time, whether it be the annual horseshoe competitions, summer days at camp or Christmas Eve gatherings at the parent's house where cousins and close friends often gathers for a late night of food, recollection and pool.
Jay's hearty laugh would take over a room and leave all with the feeling of having shared a truly special moment. Jay will always be remembered as someone who put others ahead of himself.
Jay who held the rank of specialist at the time of his death, was posthumously promoted to sergeant. His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. *If you have additionl information on Jay's awards, please contact us.
Jay is survived by wife Kimberly (Brodeur) Holmes, his son Kaleb Holmes; his “mom & dad” who raised him Sarah (Budd) and Richard W. Allard, Sr; father Mark Keating; brothers Michael and Kenneth Fazziola; Richard Allard, Jr; sisters Selina Gately and husband Tim; Miranda Pratt and husband Cliff ; Cindy Allard, Nancy Allard Jusseaume, Nicole Allard, Vanessa Turgeon; two half-sisters Whitney and Kayce Keating; paternal grandparents John and Christina Keating;mand his extended family. He was predeceased by his mother Sheila Allard Holmes in 1990 and an Uncle Brian K. Allard in 1987.
Jeremiah, known to many simply as 'Jay', truly enjoyed life to the fullest extent possible. His greatest passions were riding motorcycles, watching the Patriots and Red Sox, music and time spent with family and friends.
Family celebrations were cherished moments in time, whether it be the annual horseshoe competitions, summer days at camp or Christmas Eve gatherings at the parent's house where cousins and close friends often gathers for a late night of food, recollection and pool.
Jay's hearty laugh would take over a room and leave all with the feeling of having shared a truly special moment. Jay will always be remembered as someone who put others ahead of himself.
Jay who held the rank of specialist at the time of his death, was posthumously promoted to sergeant. His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. *If you have additionl information on Jay's awards, please contact us.
Jay is survived by wife Kimberly (Brodeur) Holmes, his son Kaleb Holmes; his “mom & dad” who raised him Sarah (Budd) and Richard W. Allard, Sr; father Mark Keating; brothers Michael and Kenneth Fazziola; Richard Allard, Jr; sisters Selina Gately and husband Tim; Miranda Pratt and husband Cliff ; Cindy Allard, Nancy Allard Jusseaume, Nicole Allard, Vanessa Turgeon; two half-sisters Whitney and Kayce Keating; paternal grandparents John and Christina Keating;mand his extended family. He was predeceased by his mother Sheila Allard Holmes in 1990 and an Uncle Brian K. Allard in 1987.
To honor SGT Jeremiah J. Holmes, his sister, Nancy Allard Jusseaume
retrieved this stone from their parents herb garden in North Berwick, Maine. Nancy Jusseaume describes the origin of the stone and her brother – “The stone came from our parents’ herb garden. Their house was the gathering place for all of our cousins and friends. Most importantly, 4 the of July, Christmas eve… really all major holidays… Jay was the oldest of 5 siblings from one of my sister’s actually, so he is technically my nephew, though when my sister was murdered, they all were in orphanages for a while. Jay came to live with us when grandparents were given rights of guardianship – he grew up regarding us as his sisters and my parents as his more than the other, and us regarding him as a brother/son. I also lost my brother who was 2 years older than me (Jay’s uncle Brian who was also Army). Losing so many healthy family members young (Sheila-Jay’s birth mother was 31; Brian was 21 and Jay was 27), was tough on us all but built a strong sense of family. Jay especially cherished that time and would do everything he could to help out any one of us. His hearty laugh still fills my head today. He always wanted to please others and wanted to be able to provide for Mom & Dad – I think he had hoped to be able to do that for them when he returned. Their home and the gardens meant so much to him, because they gave him a chance to grow into a man much like the herbs that came out of the garden. The garden was next to the swimming pool, where he spent most of his summer when he was home – he joined the high school swim team. He was very proud of that, as well as being next to the horseshoe pits, where we always had ‘friendly’ competitions and lots of laughs. No one came to the house – family or friends or new acquaintances without playing! So, in a way, the herb garden (and the rock) saw a lot of memories throughout the years.” |
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