Mildred "Milly" Holmes age 96 of Sioux Falls, SD (formerly of Mitchell) died November 21, 2011 at Avera Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls. Funeral services will be 10:30 AM Saturday, November 26, 2011 at Harvest Community Church of the Nazarene in Mitchell. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 PM Friday at the Will Funeral Chapel. Burial will be in Graceland Cemetery, Fulton. Milly Holmes, daughter of John Edward(Ed) Ness and Lydia Valentine (Vollie) Betchel, was born July 30, 1915 on a farm in Miner County, SD. She grew up and attended Glee Lake rural school and graduated from Plano Consolidated High School in 1932. Milly attended Wessington Springs College from 1933 to 1934 and later graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University with a BA Degree. She taught rural schools in Miner, Hanson and Sanborn counties and in consolidated schools in Plano, Fedora and Artesian. On September 27, 1940 she was united in marriage with Norman Holmes at her Uncle Philip and Aunt Kate's farm home in Miner County. They farmed in Miner and Hanson Counties and in 1969 they moved to Norman's grandfather's homestead in Lincoln County, SD. Milly continued her last 11 years of teaching in Hawarden Middle School, Hawarden, IA and in 1981 retired after 35 years of teaching school. In 1990 the couple made their home in Mitchell. Milly made her home at Inn on Westport in Sioux Falls from February 2007 to February 2011. Following this she made her home at Avera Prince of Peace Retirement Community. Milly and Norman did many crafts and spent nine winters in Arizona. Later she became interested in making quilts. She has always supported and been a member of the Church of the Nazarene, and taught Sunday School and Bible School. Milly was a member of the Mitchell Area Retired Teachers Association and Miner County Retired Teachers. Grateful for having shared her life are her four children, Karen (Bill) Veio, Denver, CO, Connie (Larry) Washburn, Fulton, SD, Dennis (Terry) Holmes, Rio Rancho, NM, Donna Holmes, Tampa, FL; nine grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; two brothers, Kenneth (Berthetta) Ness, Mitchell, SD, Maynard (Shirley) Ness, Mitchell, SD; a sister, Evelyn Thomsen, Mitchell, SD; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Norman Holmes on July 30, 1994; her parents; a brother, Elmon; and a sister in infancy, Grace.