Rufus D. "Bud" Holmes

Rufus D. (“Bud”) Holmes, 99 of Amarillo and formerly of Pampa, died in Amarillo on August 8, 2017 after a short illness. Services will be 2:00 PM Saturday, August 12, 2017 at Carmichael-Whatley Colonial Chapel in Pampa, with Rev. Byron Williamson, pastor of First Baptist Church of Pampa, officiating. Burial will follow in Memory Gardens Cemetery in Pampa, under the direction of Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors of Pampa. Bud was born on June 23, 1918 in McLean. He was one of five children born to William and Alice Holmes. He was inducted into the U.S. Army in early 1942 and served for the balance of World War II and in the U.S. occupation forces following the surrender of Japan. He married Mary Jewel Averitt in Erin, Tennessee on September 30, 1946. Following their marriage, they lived for a short time in Oakland, California, but soon returned to the Texas panhandle, living in White Deer and Kellerville before moving to Pampa in 1955. In 2014, Bud and Jewel moved to Amarillo. Bud and Jewel were long-time members of the First Baptist Church of Pampa, and were active participants in various church groups. Bud was a long-time employee of Getty Oil Company (subsequently Texaco) until his retirement in 1983. He was an avid fisherman, and organized many summer trout fishing trips to Colorado with friends and family. At 6’6”, Bud had an imposing physical presence, but he had a uniformly mild-mannered and even-keeled approach to life that made him a fast and steady friend to many. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Carroll and William, his sisters, Louise and Wilma, and his daughter, Elaine, who died in 1976. He is survived by his wife, Jewel, of Amarillo; his son, Randy Holmes and wife Susan of Mt. Kisco, New York; his grandson, Alex Holmes of Brooklyn, New York; and his granddaughter, Lindsay Holmes of New York, New York.   Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church PO Box 621, Pampa, Texas 79066-0621; or to a favorite charity. The family will receive visitors at the Ware Living Center, Room 25, 400 SW 14th Avenue, Amarillo, Texas, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Friday, August 11, 2017.