Steve “Hummer” Holmes, a coach in the Northeast, shares sad news of the March 8 death of his brother, Ed Holmes, at age 82. Cause of death was adenocarcinoma of the lung — lung cancer. “Ed was a lifelong nonsmoker, so his diagnosis was perplexing to us all,” Steve writes. “In March of 2014, he won the USATF national masters weight throw championship in his age group. He set a record in the process. Shortly afterward, experiencing some lethargy and fatigue, he went through many tests and the cancer was found in May 2014. The last year of his life he stayed with his son Todd and family in Charlotte, Vermont. He was fortunate to be with family right up to the end. He loved his family and grandchildren dearly.”

More from Steve:

He leaves his former wife, Gail, of Burlington, Todd Holmes, MD, wife Julie and children, Sadie, Sam and Story; also a son Brooks from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with his wife, Katie, and boys Teagan and Torin.

Ed was an outstanding athlete and excelled in many sports. He played soccer, hockey, wrestled and was a crew team member at Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, Mass. He graduated from B&N in 1951. He entered Bates College in ’51. He played on the first soccer team organized at Bates and served as captain.

His father, Edgar M. Holmes Sr., was an accomplished long jumper (22 feet) and hammer thrower (160 feet) at MIT. He weighed only 150 lbs. Ed tried throwing the indoor weight and the discus in the winter of 1952. He became a top thrower in his first winter under the tutelage of Coach Walt Slovenski.

They actually threw the discus in the indoor fieldhouse at Bates. His sophomore year, Ed won the New England Collegiate discus championship at Brown University, defeating Frank Morze of Boston College. Ed had just turned 18! The year was 1953.

After Bates, Ed was drafted into the U.S. Army. While in the service, he joined some other outstanding track athletes and toured the Far East, putting on clinics and hosting meets. Roosevelt of the NY Giants fame was in this group. Ed won the all-Army track championship in 1957 and was selected as U.S. Army Athlete of the Year in that year.
Ed always dreamed of becoming an orthopedic surgeon and began medical school at BU in 1960. He met John Lawlor, a top Irish hammer thrower for BU, and developed a long friendship with him.

In 1972, Ed began his orthopedic practice in Rutland, Vermont. He was involved with the U.S. Olympic team for 22 years and founded the Killington Mt. Medical Clinic. He was noted as a gifted surgeon whose goal was to get the patient back on their feet as soon as possible. Many of his patients were athletes.

In 1976, Ed entered his first USATF masters meet in Burlington. Al Oerter competed in this meet and Ed enjoyed talking technique with the 4-time Olympic champion. Ed had a successful throwing career with the hammer and discus primarily, but also did well in the shot and javelin and some weight pentathlons along the way.

Ed developed lasting friendship with some outstanding throwers, including Cliff Blair and Hal Connolly. Over the past few years, he was coached by his close friend, Carl Wallin. He was excited to learn technique improvements from Carl and traveled to Hanover often for another session.

Ed was an excellent competitor, showing a high skill level and always true to the ideals of good sportsmanship.

The Rutland Herald also has an obituary for Ed.

It adds some details:

Dr. Edgar Miller Holmes III passed away peacefully at his son’s home in Charlotte, VT, on March 8th, 2016.

He was born January 5, 1934, to Dr. Edgar M. Holmes Jr. and Martha Elizabeth Fish in Boston, MA. Edgar graduated from Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, MA, in 1951. He attended Bates College in Lewiston, ME, from 1951 to 1955 where he earned a B.A. in biology.

While a sophomore at Bates, he won the New England Collegiate discus championship. During this time, he worked summers on horse ranches in Wyoming.

After college he was drafted and served for the U.S. Army in Okinawa from 1956 to 1958. His duty included a tour of Japan where he gave clinics to aspiring Japanese track athletes. He won the All-Army discus throw championship in 1957 and was voted “Athlete of the Year” for the major Army groups on Okinawa for this and many other sports accomplishments.

After leaving the Army in 1958, he continued his education at Boston University earning a master’s degree in geology in 1960.

Edgar always had a dream of practicing medicine and continued at Boston University from 1960 to 1965 for medical school and then the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont in Burlington from 1965 to 1970 for internship and orthopedic surgery residency. There he met a nurse, Gail Wilcox, whom he married in the spring of 1969.

Upon finishing his medical training they traveled the country in a Dodge pick-up with their newborn son looking for a place raise their family before returning and settling in Pittsford, Vermont. He began his orthopedic practice in Rutland in 1970 with Dr. Ben Hubenet and later co-founded the Mid-Vermont Orthopedic Clinic with Dr. Joe Vargas in 1975. Around 1985, he helped found the Vermont Sports Medicine Center and the Sports Medicine fellowship program.

Edgar was a team physician for the U.S. Ski Team from 1977 until his retirement in 2006 and was team doctor for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. He was a pioneer in his treatment and rehabilitation of ski-specific injuries, allowing athletes to return to their sport. He became well known for arthroscopic replacement of the ACL.

In November of 2015, Edgar was inducted into the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame for his outstanding skill and demeanor in treating ski-related injuries.
Ed loved the outdoors and was happiest on skis or with a canoe paddle in hand. He also loved to play the guitar and harmonica.

His favorite place on Earth was Isle au Haut, Maine, where he vacationed regularly since childhood. After retirement he spent his summers there with close friends and family and when he became ill, it was where he most wanted to be.

Edgar is survived by his brother, Stephen Vincent Holmes; and sister, Ann Elizabeth Flatt; his sons Todd Edgar Holmes and Brooks Gunton Holmes; and grandchildren: Sadie Elizabeth, Samuel Grady, Story Alexander, Teigen Miller and Torin Spencer Holmes.

A celebration of his life will take place at the Red Clover Inn in Mendon, Vermont, on Saturday, May 21st from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Our deepest condolences to family and friends of a very interesting man, who gave of himself.