thumb

Linn County News

Published Feb. 17, 2021

Floyd Arthur Holmes (or Arthur Floyd Holmes, it was never clear which) passed away peacefully at his residence at Grandwood Assisted Living in Grove, Okla., on Feb. 13, 2021, exactly one month after celebrating his 105th birthday. Floyd to family, and “F.A.” or simply “Holmes” to his friends, was born on the family farm near Prescott, Kan., the third child of Arthur and Florence Holmes. 

He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Carroll; and his two older siblings, Hazel Grigsby and John Holmes, and two younger siblings, Ned Holmes and Mildred Holmes, who died in childhood. He is survived by his youngest sister Florine O’Rourke of Lawrence, Kan.; six nephews; two nieces; and many grand-nieces and nephews and their descendants. 

Floyd was remarkable in many ways, not least by his energy, sense of humor and amazing memory. Well past his centennial year he could still name all the U.S. state capitols, all the counties in Kansas, California, Washington, Oregon, Utah and most in Oklahoma, the names of almost all the members of the sports teams he competed against as a student athlete in rural Kansas, and the names of all the members of the minor league baseball teams he followed during his career in Utah, Washington, Ohio, Indiana and California. As though to emphasize his remarkable mental acuity, he spontaneously recited, verbatim, the poem “When the Last Picture of the Earth Is Painted” by Rudyard Kipling for the assembled friends and family at his 102nd birthday celebration. He noted to all that he learned the poem when he heard it read at a graduation in 1931. It was not the only poem he still remembered and could recite when the mood struck. He used to be fond of saying that he spent the first 30 years of his life getting an education, the next 30 working for someone else, and the last 30 playing golf and enjoying himself. Even he did not foresee his longevity, although several family members lived past 100.

 After attending a one-room grade school and graduating at 16 from high school in Prescott (Class of ‘32), Floyd worked at farming and tried his hand at the wheat harvest in western Kansas, but his innate curiosity soon led him to attend Fort Scott Community College and then Kansas State University, where he obtained Bachelor and Master’s degrees in entomology. He was proud of the fact that on a class field trip while at K-State he discovered the largest known fossil of a dragon fly. Half of the fossil resides in the collections at K-State and the other half at Harvard’s Museum of Natural History. In 2016 he was honored by K-State for his still legendary discovery. He was a proud KSU Wildcat and endowed a scholarship in entomology at K-State for a graduate student working on economic entomology issues that would benefit agriculture. 

It was while he was a student at K-State that he met the love of his life, fellow student Carroll Buck. After serving a year in the army during WWII, Floyd returned home on leave and he and Carroll were married in Garnett, Kan., in 1943. He quickly returned to duty and spent most of the rest of his wartime service in the Pacific theatre with the army medical corps.

After discharge from the army following the war, Floyd secured a position with DuPont chemical company as a pesticide specialist. In many ways a dream job, it kept him outside, working with people, and on the move.  He and Carroll had posts in Yakima, Wash., Brigham City, Utah, Oberlin, Ohio, South Bend, Ind., and finally and longest, in Los Gatos, Calif.  Active, well-known and a leader in his professional role in California, he and Carroll were equally well-known at many of the leading golf courses in California. He was particularly pleased at their recognition for each of them having made a hole-in-one on the same hole at the same course in the same year. And it was not the only hole-in-one for either of them.

Following his retirement from DuPont, he and Carroll elected to relocate closer to family. They built their retirement home in Buffalo Shores on Grand Lake near Grove, Okla., so, as Floyd said, they could golf and fish at their leisure. They stayed in Buffalo Shores until Carroll’s death in 1998. At that time, Floyd moved into Grove. Despite the loss of Carroll, Floyd’s enjoyment of travel did not diminish, and for a number of years his traveling companion was his sister-in-law, Eileen Funk, who had lost her husband some years before.

In 2015 Floyd moved to Grandwood Assisted Living in Grove. In 2017 he was very pleased and honored to serve as Grand Marshall of the Grove Christmas Parade, and this year Grove’s mayor declared his 105th birthday Floyd A. Holmes Day.0 A fitting tribute to the acknowledged “Oldest Man in Oklahoma.”

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt and sincere appreciation for the extended care provided to Floyd by the remarkable staff of Grandwood Assisted Living and by Hospice Compassus during his final days. A family memorial service is planned for the future at the Holmes Cemetery in Linn County, Kan.  

OBITUARIES

John Clayton Bowman ~ 02-01-1944 to 08-17-2025

thumb

Linn County News Published August 20, 2025   John Clayton Bowman, age 81, Parker, Kan., passed away Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. He was born on Feb. 1, 1944, in Goodrich, Kan., the son of John Thomas “Tom” Bowman and Carrie Theodoshia Shafer Bowman. John attended... [More]

Arnold Joseph Lickteig ~ 05-16-1931 to 07-31-2025

thumb

Linn County News Published August 6, 2025   Arnold Joseph Lickteig, age 94, formerly of Greeley, Kan., passed away on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at Colonial Oaks Senior Living at Spring Hill in Spring Hill, Kan. Arnie was born on May 16, 1931, on a farm east of Greeley,... [More]

Joe W. Mann ~ 09-02-1951 to 07-26-2025

thumb

Linn County News Published July 30, 2025   Joe W. Mann, age 73 of La Cygne, Kan., passed away at his home on Saturday, July 26, 2025. There are no services scheduled at this time. Contributions are suggested to the Schneider Funeral Home and may be sent... [More]

More Obituaries

View All Obituaries

NEWS

Economic Development Director resigns

thumb

Cites lack of professionalism and respect in leadership   During the public comment portion of the commissioners meeting on Aug. 18, Economic Development Director Chasity Ware took the podium and read a letter to the commissioners that began by noting that she had lived... [More]

Pleasanton moves forward with streets plan

thumb

The Pleasanton City Council met Monday night and listened to a presentation by Streets Supervisor Taylor Robinson who presented a plan on how to move forward to get all city streets redone next spring and summer. Robinson said she met with Linn County Public Works Superintendent... [More]

USD 344 adopts new cell phone policy

thumb

During the August meeting, which was moved to Tuesday, Aug. 12, the USD 344 Board of Education adopted a new cell phone policy as recommended by the Kansas Association of School Boards and Kansas State Department of Education. The new policy prompted several questions from... [More]

More News

SPORTS

Frog gigging a new ‘old sport’

thumb

It’s another one of those…So…stories. So, last weekend was an adventure. I’ve gotten involved with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Wild Foods Academy (WFA) that is a pilot program designed to educate many ‘left-0ut’ people’s... [More]

Fishing Derby kicks off at Linn County Fair

thumb

The annual Linn County Fair and Rodeo Fishing Derby was held on the morning of Aug. 9.  Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks fish biologist Don George has been heading the derby since 1987 and this year was no different.  The derby was divided into three age... [More]

Linn County Farm Bureau hosts annual pedal pull

thumb

The Linn County Farm Bureau Association hosted the annual kids’ pedal pull on the evening of Aug. 8. Kids 4 to 12 can compete in the event for a chance to earn a spot at the State pedal pull at Hutchinson.  Trophies and a place at the State fair was awarded to the... [More]

More Sports

PLEASANTON WEATHER

OBITUARIES POLICY

• May be mailed, e-mailed, faxed or hand delivered.
• Must be received by 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning in order to appear in that week's edition.
• Obituaries submitted by funeral homes will be billed to the funeral home.
• Full obituaries submitted by individuals are required to be paid in advance.
• Cost: $40 for 300 words or less. Each additional word over 300, 10¢. Photograph $5.
Call Barbara at 913-352-6235 or e-mail linncountynewsreporter@gmail.com

View Legals for Free