Anne Whitlock Holmes

Anne Whitlock Holmes, 88, of Spartanburg, died on Friday, July 21, 2023, at White Oak Estates. Born September 30, 1934, in Spartanburg, she was the oldest of four children of the late Myles Wentworth Whitlock, Sr. and the late Florence Smarr Whitlock.

Anne was a graduate of Spartanburg High School and of Winthrop University. While she was a student at Winthrop, she married George Thomas “Tom” Holmes on June 25, 1955, and they began their life together in Rock Hill, SC. She taught school for several years in Rock Hill, and always had a special place in her heart for teachers and children, noting that teaching 4th grade was her favorite age group. Anne eventually stopped teaching to raise her two children, but later volunteered at local schools. She also turned her artistic talent into a part-time profession during the 1980’s as the co-founder of Glen Holly Ducks. Through this venture, she traveled to numerous craft shows and sold incredible woodwork, much of it focused on ducks that she hand-painted beautifully.

After living in Rock Hill for several years, Anne lived in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as Columbus, Ohio, before settling in Pickens, South Carolina for 25 years. Following the death of her husband in 1995, she moved to Spartanburg in 2002 to be closer to family and friends, and she lived the rest of her life in the city that she always considered home.

Along with painting, Anne was a pianist and singer, with a love of classical music and opera. She enjoyed reading and watching Days of Our Lives with her daughter. In Pickens she transformed her backyard into an oasis for her beloved birds, while waging legendary battles against squirrels that might disturb her feathered friends. Anne was a mother and grandmother to several dogs that she cared for who adored her in return – Chevy, BJ, Fletch, Frank – and her daughter nicknamed her “The Dog Whisperer” long before the show of the same name, due to her uncanny ability to communicate with her animals. Anne was a nurturer at heart, always showing kindness and caring to those she loved, with her amazing ability to make things better with a gentle word, a delicious meal, and a quick sense of humor.

In addition to her parents and her husband, Anne was predeceased by her son, Scott Kirkpatrick Holmes, 40, of Charleston, in 2004. Her two younger brothers preceded her in death -- Myles Wentworth Whitlock, Jr. in 2019, and Wallace Eugene Whitlock in 2015. Additionally, her sister-in-law, Corrie Miller Whitlock, predeceased her in 2003. And, her husband’s brother, William Osbourne Holmes, preceded her in death in 1984, as well as his wife, Dorothy Cox Holmes, in 2012.

Anne leaves to cherish her memory her daughter, Carrie Holmes Cox, and son-in-law, Glenn Cox, of Woodstock, Georgia. She is also survived by her beloved grandson, Travis Scott Teska, of Woodstock. Additionally, she is survived by her lifelong best friends, sister Patricia Whitlock Berry of Johnson City, Tennessee, and sister-in-law Carolyn Garvin Smyth of Spartanburg, as well as their husbands, Dr. Boyce Monroe Berry and L. Blake Smyth. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Camille Norris Whitlock, of Spartanburg, as well as numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Anne will be remembered at a graveside service at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Spartanburg on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at noon, where she will be laid to rest next to her husband of 40 years.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that mourners consider a donation dedicated to Anne Holmes to The Asher House, an amazing non-profit sanctuary in Estacada, Oregon, whose mission is to rescue animals that have been discarded or unwanted, providing them with a life of comfort, love and adventure (https://www.theasherhouse.com/pages/donate).

The family wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to the staff of White Oak Estates for the wonderful job that they did as caregivers to Anne during her final years.