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Derek John McLeod Holmes, 63, passed away unexpectedly in the early hours of March 5, 2022. He had been bravely fighting cancer since November 2021.

He was born May 10th, 1958, in Portsmouth, England, to Iris and William McLeod Holmes. The son of a Royal Navy officer, his childhood included several years living in Malta and Singapore. He attended the Royal Hospital School in Suffolk, England, a historic naval academy, before establishing a career in Information Technology.

Derek worked at FM Global for almost 25 years, starting in the London Office and eventually moving to the USA (Johnston Office) in 2000. He was a Principal Application Developer/Analyst at the time of his passing, developing and supporting the critical Financial Insurance Accounting applications.

From a very early age, Derek had a deep passion for history and writing. This led him to author several historical novels chronicling the life of Alexander the Great. He frequently travelled to Europe and the Middle East to research the content and accuracy of his books.

Derek loved animals and donated endlessly to help as many as he could. He had an incredibly kind heart and would save any living creature, no matter how small. He also loved music, hiking and exploring old forts and battlefields. He especially loved food, anyone who knew Derek knew how much he loved his cakes and desserts.

Derek was preceded in death by his parents, and his two sisters, Avril and Rosalind. He is survived by his partner and beloved of 33 years, Jen, and his younger brother, Robert (Bob).

Derek was a loyal friend who will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 12:30 PM on Sunday, March 20, at Carpenter-Jenks Funeral Home in West Warwick. Pastor Kohl of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will be officiating a short service that will commence at 1:30 PM. You are welcome to attend either or both. Please feel free to wear bright colors in Derek’s memory. He would not want this to be mournful.

In lieu of flowers, a donation in Derek’s name to an animal charity/shelter of your choice would be very much appreciated. Derek would be smiling down at this.

You can leave an online condolence with the funeral home HERE.

Photo by Gemma Evans, courtesy of Unsplash.