Dr. Charles B. Holmes, a founding board member of Protestants for the Common Good. died on May 11, 2010 after a long illness. Dr. Holmes was a committed and true friend of PCG, who is remembered for his passion for justice, his service to this country during World War II, his competence as an optometrist, and his capacity for friendship.

The Rev. Reggie Weaver gave the following eulogy at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago on Saturday, May 22. A brief biography, offered as the obituary reading, is also included below:

Eulogy

And Their Eyes Were Opened
Luke 24: 25–31

Friends and family, we gather here today to bear witness to the resurrection of Charles B. Holmes.

And in doing so, we are confronted with a great irony. Though we celebrate the
fact that our loved one has risen to new life, we also feel the weight of our loss. Our hearts are aching and filled with grief. We mourn. We understand the experience of the Psalmist, walking in the shadow of death.The poet, Maya Angelou once described it this way:

Great souls die and our reality,
bound to them, takes leave of us.
Our souls, dependent upon their nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed and informed by their
radiance, fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable [grief]
of dark, cold caves.

Charles Holmes was a great soul!

I say that realizing that I did not know him as well, or for as long as most of you.
Yet, I do know him, the same way you will remember him, the same way the disciples in Luke finally came to recognize the risen Christ: through the stories, and moments—even brief moments—of fellowship. He was a gift to us all. In this congregation, one thing he will always be remembered for is his powerful voice, singing every year about the “Sweet Little Jesus Boy.” And I think it is appropriate that that is the song he is known for. Because, as you may recall, it describes how the same world that celebrated the birth of Christ, rejected him. As people of faith, it is a hard truth about ourselves that we would rather ignore. Yet, Charles was not afraid to acknowledge and point out hard truths.

He was aware of the disparities of life, the inequalities that exist in the world, and
he worked to solve them. He crossed denominational lines, working with Protestants for the Common Good, working for Civil Rights, advancing the cause of justice. Here at First, he was a driving force in our mission and ministry with the community, pushing us to be concerned about poverty, to feed the hungry, to provide guidance for children and youth. By doing so, he embodied not only an awareness of the hard truths of life, but a deep concern for the quality of life of all people.

Most of his patients will tell you that this concern for people carried over into
his practice. Charles didn’t simply treat them, but took the time to listen to them.
In seminary, one of my advisors was known for asking the question, “What’s really
going on?” And I can hear Charles asking the same question: what’s really going on?

Of course, Charles was not only a doctor, a truth-teller, a champion of justice. He
was also a devoted husband and father. I had a conversation with Chuckie the other day, and he told me that Charles had a way of gently nudging him and Baxter to do their best. But he didn’t only say it. He modeled it for them, and taught them to work hard in everything they do.

And Zoraida, the love of Charles’ life. You know that Charles loved you deeply,
that he reveled in comforting you and being comforted by you, that he found pleasure in sharing the joys of his life with you, and he felt fortunate to have you as his loving companion.

Charles was a great soul. One of the confessions of the Presbyterian church
reminds us that life is a gift, but it is also a task to be pursued with courage. Charles modeled for all of us what it means to live courageously. And we are grateful that for him, suffering has ended, and death has now past. As Paul reminds us in the letter to the Romans, there is nothing in life, nor in death, nor in things present, nor things to come that will ever separate us from the love God. Our God claimed Charles as his own through the waters of baptism. And now, in his death, his baptism is complete. He now knows fully the love of God, and has been made whole.

Yet we, like the disciples on that road to Emmaus are now challenged to move
forward to pursue what may be the difficult and, at times, painful task of life without
this one we love. We go knowing, however, that he has not left us completely. For he is now a part of the great cloud of witnesses who surround us every time we gather in this place and when we go out into the world. And when we sit at table to break bread and share our stories, maybe our eyes will be opened to the presence of Charles and all those who have gone before us, who are with us still, who continue to call us and nurture us.

Toward the end of her poem, after the describing overwhelming power of greif,
Maya Angelou opens our eyes to the healing that is to come. She says:

When great souls die,
After a period peace blooms,
Slowly and always
Irregularly. Spaces fill
With a kind of
Soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
To be the same, whisper to us,
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
Better. For they existed.

Obituary Reading

Dr. Charles Bernard Holmes Jr. was born on August 24, 1922 in Chicago, Illinois to his parents, Charles and Lillian Holmes, from this union came six children. He accepted Christ at an early age. His singing career began at Peoples Baptist Church at nine years of age, his voice was one to cherish as he continued to sing in church choirs throughout his life.

He graduated from Waller High School, then he attended Wright City College until his studies were interrupted for a tour of duty in 1943 during WWII. He was stationed in New Guinea for two years with training as a medic. Upon discharge from the military, he continued his studies and graduated from DePaul University. He subsequently entered Illinois College of Optometry and was awarded a degree as a Doctor of Optometry.

He began his Optometric practice on the near north side of Chicago and continued practicing Optometry until his practice was relocated to Downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue until his retirement. He had numerous patients in his extensive practice including the late Mayor Harold Washington. He also served as a consultant for the Armed Forces Recruitment Services for more than twenty years.

In 1955, he married Dr. Zoraida Valdes of Havana, Cuba. From this union two sons were born: Dr. Charles Bernard Holmes, III (Mamie) and Baxter Meredith Holmes (Timbolin).

He attended the March on Washington, D.C. in 1963 and local marches in the area and surrounding states during the Civil Rights Era. He was actively involved in community service donating his time and services to underprivileged adults and children.

He leaves to mourn: his wife of fifty five years, two sons, and grandchildren; two sisters and a sister-in-law in Havana, Cuba.