Warren Holmen Obituary

Warren



His gentle touch,

And his gentle way,

His sof' spoken words,

He was careful to say.



His stoic position,

Always proud; never bold,

In his eyes a slight twinkle,

Another story be told.



His good hearted laugh,

His slight precious giggle,

The handshake he'd lend,

And his playful wrist wiggle.



His meticulous way,

His knowledge so vast,

The little minds he'd encounter,

And how he'd get them to grasp.



His "Yuppie Do" soundbites,

His charismatic smile,

The lasting impression,

He has left all this while.



I know that I'll miss him,

And he'll live in my heart,

He'll sleep in my conscious,

Where we'll never depart.

---

I love you Grandpa!

My favorite story from my dad goes back to his navy days during World War II. He was trained as a gunner's mate on some sort of warship and the fleet was ready to leave San Diego. They gathered the sailors at he naval base to listen to the admiral give his parting speech - but the sound equipment malfunctioned and the guy shouted, "Is there anyone who can fix this blanky-blank sound system?" (or something on that order). Dad had previously worked at a radio station in Duluth and volunteered to try. Well, what ever he did worked! His orders were immediately changed - he was assigned duty in San Diego doing audio/visual work for the navy. And guess where his first child (me) was born! I'll always be grateful that even though he was a quiet, gentle soul, he was assertive enough to step forward on that day.



I heard this tale as a child, and last heard it from Dad in April '03 visiting with the Holmens in Minnesota.



Thanks, Pop. I'll always love you!

To a very special brother-in-law who will never be forgotten!



Always a quick smile, a quick hand to help, and the quick wit to go along with his twinkling eyes. Warren was very special! Although there were many miles between us and not nearly enough visits, you could feel the warmth, friendliness, and family love during each visit.



Warren was a brilliant man! Yet, with his intelligence, he could reach the very young and always made an impression on our grandsons as he took time to explain, in detail, and with great patience, every little query.



Warren enjoyed life to the fullest! Always seemed to be able to pull out the best in people. Never heard a harsh or unkind word uttered by Warren . . . he was a friend to all and loved by all who knew him!



Warren will be greatly missed; but, never forgotten!

Warren, a true gentleman. He was my brother-in-law and then some. I will deeply miss him and his visits to St. Paul.

He was a brilliant and loving man.

Once anyone met him they would feel they had known him for many years. He was soft spoken and kind. He had a neat twinkle in his eye that could make you smile.

A kinder man than Warren Holmen cannot be found. He never had a bad word to say about anyone, and was always polite and gracious.



I was amazed at how intelligent and creative my stepfather was. When I first visited from Minnesota for two months during the summer of 1972, during a break from college, Warren helped me construct a three-wheeled, motorized "beach" buggy. We would go down to Puget Sound salvage and find odd parts to construct this strange vehicle, and his advice on pulleys and circumference ratios was invaluable. He was very patient with me, as I was in a hurry to get it done! Finally, we took it down to the ocean beaches and I drove it around. The motor really wasn't powerful enough to get me through all the dunes, but I had a blast!



That's the kind of man he was: helpful, supportive and always willing to go the extra mile for you. I'll always cherish his wonderful abilities and kindness. I love him and miss him.

My deeply loved and missed Grandfather, Warren L. Holmen. He is loved and missed; the smartest man I ever knew...I love you Grandpa!!!

Grandpa Warren will greatly be missed! I met him for the first time when I was 27. I regret that I didn't know him when I was younger. Grandpa Warren was very gracious to me and wrote me a letter welcoming me to the family. I keep this letter in my safe deposit box. We always had a good time on my visits to Seattle. He and Shirley were very hospitable to me.



Grandpa Warren and I shared an interest in genealogy, and he usually had many wonderful things to share that he had recently learned about that. He thought it was neat that his initials were WLH and mine are TLH. He also liked to expound on ideas. He liked to talk about building a tidal power plant on Puget Sound in order to harvest the energy from the great tides that flow in twice a day.



Grandpa Warren had a great affection for the Pacific Northwest and he took joy in showing the Olympic Mountains to visitors to his home (on days they were visible). On one special trip to Seattle, Grandpa Warren & Shirley and I headed off to circumnavigate the Olympic Peninsula. We took the ferry from Fauntleroy to Southworth and spent the day visiting various sites, including Hurricane Ridge. Leaving Port Angeles, we realized how much distance there was to cover and turned around to make it back to Federal Way in time to celebrate Grandpa's birthday with Warren Jr. and Merilee. We wanted to finish the circuit on some subsequent trip but never did. On those later trips, we still managed to have a good time anyway.



I always enjoyed talking to Grandpa Warren on the phone, and it was usually a challenge to get him to let me hang up. I will miss those conversations.



My condolences to Shirley and the family. Grandpa Warren is gone, and those of us who knew him are poorer by his absence.



As a Swedish hymn says, "neither life nor death shall ever from the Lord his children sever."