Margaret Cynthia "Cindy" Holmes

Cindy was born in Gainesville Florida on July 15, 1946, to Arthur Barnes and Wilma Roberson Holmes. She attended Sidney Lanier Elementary and PK Young Laboratory School, graduating in 1964. Although she earned a bachelor’s degree from FSU in 1969, Cindy was a lifelong Gator and earned a master’s degree from the University of Florida in 1981. After college, Cindy became a teacher at J.J. Finley Elementary School, where she dedicated 40 years to serving several generations of Gainesville students, 35 of those years in kindergarten. She was a 46-year member of Delta Kappa Gamma, a professional society for woman educators. Cindy and her husband James M. “Jimmy” Hansford loved spending time at the family’s lake house. Together they raised four generations of cocker spaniels, as well as countless other classroom pets and rescue animals. If you knew Cindy, you knew her dedication to her furry family, and her passion for helping animals. After retiring from teaching, Cindy shifted her dedication to serving her church, Wesley United Methodist. Through the years, she served on the Board of Trustees, as well as the Staff-Parish Relations Committee and the Chair of Missions. All important work, but none more pleasing to Cindy than the years that she and her sister Becky chaired the Wesley “Pumpkin Patch”. Cindy was preceded in death by her parents Holmes and Wilma, her husband Jimmy and her brother Reverend Arthur B. Holmes. Cindy will be greatly missed by her surviving family. Her sister Rebecca Holmes Knight (Gainesville, FL) and sister-in-law Jolanda Holmes, her niece Elizabeth Knight and grand-niece Ceilidh Knight, her nephew Jeffrey Knight (Pam), grand-nephew Andrew Knight (Leslie) and great- nephew Henry Knight, lifelong friends Janis Bishop and Sue McCoy, and her beloved dogs The Bern and The Sparrow A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, December 7, 2024 Wesley United Methodist Church, 826 NW 23rd Ave, Gainesville, FL 32609. A light lunch will be served immediately following Please honor Cindy’s wishes by dressing “Cindy casual” or showing your Gator pride. In lieu of flowers, Cindy has requested that you consider a donation to Wesley United Methodist Church or an animal rescue of your choice.

Margaret Cynthia "Cindy" Holmes

July 15, 1946 - November 19, 2024