On July 18, Tucson lost a shining star β a great man committed to the community and to those less fortunate.
After completing his regular early-morning workout and returning home to prepare for the office, Bill Holmes suffered a brain aneurysm. He passed away in the afternoon, leaving us all way too early.
Bill was at the top of his game. Having served as a board member and chairman of more nonprofits than most of us know exist, he led a life of giving back, a life of serving others.
From his service in organizations like the Childrenβs Museum, Tucson Metro Chamber, the American Heart Association, and his role as the vice president of community relations for Wells Fargo bank, among others. He knew everyone in town who had a need as well as those who could help.
Bill came from humble beginnings in Yuma. He was fortunate decades ago, when Steve Rokowski with Up With People β the world-serving organization started in Tucson by Blanton Belk β chose to train him.
This was a great opportunity for Bill. He became the stage manager and eventually senior consultant for the groupβs worldwide performances and community projects.
When Bill was selected to be the COO for the Tucson Metro Chamber, he teamed with Mike Varney to restore the chamber to its leading role in promoting the business community in Tucson.
In 2015, Bill became CEO of Agape Hospice and Palliative Care and really hit his stride, leading the company to greater excellence and to becoming one of Tucsonβs best places to work.
Agape was most recently honored as a finalist in the Copper Cactus awards program.
In April of this year he and his soul mate, Shelley Jo Pozez, married and brought their blended families together. That extended family spent a week uniting and reuniting in Hawaii just a few weeks ago.
Billβs passing leaves a legacy of contribution and commitment to helping those less fortunate and building this community and this region. He had few equals.
Words like conflict, retribution, anger and divisiveness were not part of Billβs lexicon.
He worked tirelessly through cooperation, respect and teamwork, with the goal of a win for the community, and he made sure we all had fun during the process.
So what do we take from a life given in the service of others, and what can we do to make sure there is a legacy that endures?
By definition, a legacy is tied to βmaking a meaningful and lasting contribution to a cause that is greater than your own.β
In that spirit, we can carry on the great work Bill committed his life to by making our own contributions to the betterment of the greater Tucson community.
We can do that by coming together on issues that divide us β first to share what we have in common and then to address how we work together for success.
There are ample needs that warrant resolving in the community, from the homeless situation, to the Aerospace Corridor, to the future of Davis-Monthan, to the downtown business climate and job growth, to better education in Arizona β the list goes on.
It only takes someone on each side of any issue to take a step and reach out to those with different views. In doing that, we will be helping assure that the legacy of Bill Holmes, and what he stood for, will endure.
