A tireless volunteer, she worked for countless Greater Cincinnati causes, family members say, with the grace and manner of a true Southern lady. 'The role she played supporting the city's arts and charities earned her recognition as a former Enquirer Woman of the Year and the key to the city.

"She was a very loving mother and was always attentive to what our needs were," said her son, John L. Holmes of downtown. "She was either on the phone and baking something or baking something and on the phone.

"We are very proud of what she was able to accomplish."

Mrs. Holmes died Nov. 23 at Jewish Hospital after a brief illness. She was 71.

A native of Eagle Station, Ky., Mrs. Holmes grew up in Carrollton and graduated from Carroll County High School. While studying English at Transylvania University, she met Harold L. "Bud" Holmes. They married Dec. 27, 1952, and moved to Cincinnati.

That's when her work as a volunteer began.

"The symphony, Pops and ballet were her favorite and most visible activities," John Holmes said. "But there were so many other causes she was involved in."

Mrs. Holmes was past president of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Association board, CSO Women's Committee, May Festival and the Cincinnati Opera Guild. She also was a former chairwoman of the Cincinnati Antiques Festival.

Mrs. Holmes helped found the Classical Music Hall of Fame and oversaw the rejuvenation of the historic Betts House, the oldest surviving building in the city's lower West End. She was past chairwoman of the WCET Action Auction and was a member of Indian Hill Church, Cincinnati Woman's Club, Phi Mu Sorority and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

"She dedicated her life to community service and that list is really representative, and not exhaustive," said another son, Stephen S. Holmes of Terrace Park.

Besides her husband and sons, Mrs. Holmes also is survived by two sisters, Genrose Turner of Maysville, Ky., and LaVerne Ryan of Carrollton, Ky.; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

A memorial service will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Madeira Silverwood Presbyterian Church. Burial will be in Ghent Masonic Cemetery in Ghent, Ky.

"Not doing those things things would be living a life not worth living," said Mrs. Holmes, who died Sunday, November 23 at Jewish Hospital. She was 71.

She volunteered for dozens of organizations in Cincinnati, from health groups such as the Visiting Nurses Association to historic preservation efforts like the Betts House to arts organizations.

The last was "her true love," said her son, Stephen of Terrace Park.

Among those groups were the Cincinnati the Symphony Orchestra Association and the orchestra's Women's Committee; the Cincinnati Ballet; the Classical Music Hall of Fame; the Cincinnati Cincinnati Opera Guild; the the American Federation of Music Clubs; the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Society for the Preservation of Music Hall. She lead more than a half dozen of the groups and chaired many of their special events.

Mrs. Holmes was named a woman of the year by both The Post and The Enquirer, was a Post Corbett Award winner for her volunteer efforts and was a Kentucky Colonel.

She was born Joyce Faye Swango in Eagle Station, just outside Carrollton, Ky., and remained a supporter of her alma. mater, Transylvania University in Lexington, throughout her life, She was a winner of its Morris Medallion for alumni support.

She moved to Cincinnati with her husband, Harold L. "Bud" Holmes. The couple lived for years in Indian Hill before moving downtown, in part so they could live "close to the things there that Mom loved," Stephen Holmes said.

In addition to her husband and son, survivors include another son, John L. Holmes, of Cincinnati; sisters, Genrose Turner of Maysville and LaVern Ryan of Carrollton and a great-grand child.

Services will will be at noon Wednesday at Carrollton Christian Church, Carrollton, Ky. Visitation will begin there at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Dec. 4 at Silverwood Presbyterian Church in Madeira.

Memorials are suggested to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Betts House or Transylvania University.