G. Thomas "Tom" Holmes III, 75, died on July 15, 2018 at UVM Medical Center in Burlington, VT. He was born in 1942 in Maryville, Tennessee to Gladys Wright and George Thomas Holmes, Jr. The eldest of three children, he grew up in Maryville, Tennessee; Wenatchee, Washington; Evansville, Indiana; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He married Margaret Mackay Millender in 1966, and they had two children, George Thomas Holmes IV, now of Daniel Island, South Carolina, and Stephen Charles Holmes, now of Cornwall, Vermont. Tom Holmes is survived by his spouse, Maggie; his children, George (Cindy) and Steve (Dr. Jessica); his sister, Elaine Holmes of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and his brother, Dr. Alan (Dr. Dorothy) Holmes of Goleta, California; his brother-in-law, Marion Charles (Sandra) Millender of Southern Pines, North Carolina; five grandchildren, Katie, Justin and Sarah Holmes of Vermont, Julie (Patrick) Youells of Virginia, and Justin OGrady of Iowa, all of whom referred to him affectionately as "Papa Bear." Tom attended Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, receiving the B.Sc. degree and continued education at North Carolina State University receiving his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees there. He worked for Corning Glass Works (Corning Incorporated) for 37 years starting in 1965. During that time, he was a research scientist and manager of optical research, primarily working on optical fibers. After retirement, the couple moved to Cornwall, VT and lived next to their son Steve and his family. An early user of computers, he estimated that he spent half his life waiting on them and says that he will be happy that he wont have to do that anymore! A Memorial service will be held at 4:30 on Thursday, July 19 at Cornwall Congregational Church in Cornwall, Vermont. He asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 5500 Wabash Avenue, Terre Haute, IN 47803. Sanderson Funeral Services in Middlebury, Vermont will be handling the funeral arrangements. SERVICES Memorial Service Thursday, July 19, 2018 4:30 PM Cornwall Congregational Church 2598 VT-30 Cornwall, VT 05753