Dean Holmes, a loving father, husband, and friend, known for his sharp wit, good humor, and fondness for a good book, passed away from frontotemporal dementia on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. He was 68 years old. Born in Barton, Vt. to Roscoe and Thelma (Bowen) Holmes on June 29, 1953, Dean spent his early years in East Charleston and then Burke Hollow. As a youth, Dean took great pleasure in reading, cross-country, track, theatre, and friends. He graduated from Lyndon Institute in 1971 as valedictorian, then graduated from Wesleyan University in 1977, where he won numerous poetry prizes including being named a Connecticut Collegiate Poet. He subsequently held editorial positions at publishers including Academic American Encyclopedia, Funk & Wagnalls in New York, Stinehour Press in Lunenburg, Vt., and the Journal of Chemical Engineering in Atlanta, Ga. In 1986, Dean accepted a job at Microsoft Press and immediately married Lisa Irwin in a backyard ceremony in Atlanta attended by friends and loved ones. With their two cats, they moved to Seattle, Wash., where their son, Dylan, was born the following year. In 1995, Dean realized that he couldn't remember the last time he had taken a full weekend off from work. He promptly gave his notice to Microsoft and decided to take a six-month break before looking for new work. He enjoyed it so much that he never worked again, retiring at the age of 42. Dean thrived as a "house-husband," often joking that "a man's work is never done" as he folded laundry, parented, cooked meals, or walked the dogs. But he found ample time to pursue his favorite hobbies: playing John Prine songs on his guitar, skiing, golfing, tennis, volunteering, following the Red Sox, and going to Mariners games. But nothing rivaled his passion for the written word. He read voraciously, and particularly loved mystery novels and postmodern literature; he teamed up with Lisa to send an annual reading recommendation list to friends and family. He also continued to write poetry, self-publishing his first book in 2004 and following it with an additional four books of "serious limericks" in his remaining years. In 1996 Dean and Lisa bought a cabin on Whidbey Island. Dean grew to love the island life and talked Lisa into moving there full-time in 2008. After Dean's diagnosis with dementia, he and Lisa started spending winters on St. Simons, Ga., which was ultimately his final earthly home. Dean is survived by his wife of 35 years, Lisa Irwin and his son, Dylan Holmes; the family dog, Rolo; his siblings Amaryllis Sheltra of Indiantown, Fla., Bernard Holmes of Lyndonville, Vt., and Reginald Holmes of Sutton, Vt.; his sisters-in-law Leslie Irwin of St. Simons, Ga. and Jill Irwin of Fernandina Beach, Fla.; his niece Whitney Bulterman of Santa Cruz, Calif., and many other nieces, nephews, and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, his siblings Roscoe Holmes and Joyce Holmes, and numerous cats (Tuffguy and Little Sister) and dogs (Jasper, Charlie, Rolly, and Buffy). He is missed deeply by his family and his many friends across the country. A celebration of life will be held Sept. 10, 2022 at 2 p.m. by Lake Willoughby at the Westmore Community Church, 27 Hinton Hill Rd., Westmore, Vt.