Theresa Anna (Harmon) Holmes, 91, of Tustin, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, at home.

Theresa "Terri" was born on Sept. 28, 1929, in Budapest, Hungary.

In 1944, 15-year-old Theresa and her 12-year-old brother, Joey, fled Hungary as the war progressed toward their home city. Their journey was tumultuous and they were separated for a time. During that period of separation, Theresa worked as an aide at a Hungarian hospital in Roebuck, Austria, where she met a young U.S. Army private, Wendell Holmes. She did not speak English and Wendell did not speak Hungarian but through broken German they communicated and he managed to give her his "funny little address" of LeRoy before he shipped out to the Pacific.

They endured their individual World War II experiences and through patience, persistence and fractured correspondence, Theresa boarded a plane bound for the United States on June 5, 1947. She and Wendell married on July 1, 1947, in Cadillac.

During their 67 years of marriage, Theresa and Wendell lived in LeRoy, Grand Rapids and Tustin. They established and managed the Diamond Lake Lounge in the years before their retirement.

Theresa was an avid traveler, making many trips back to Europe both before and after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Her children were able to travel with her and meet their Hungarian family.

Back in Michigan, Theresa loved making and serving the Hungarian cuisine of her homeland. Sunday dinners were weekly banquets. The recipes that were passed down from Theresa's mother and grandmother have now been lovingly handed to her children and grandchildren.

Theresa was an excellent bowler and was captain of her bowling team at Parkview Lanes in Cadillac where she achieved every bowler's goal of a perfect 300 game!

She also enjoyed dancing, cross-country skiing, card games, reading and spending family time at "the river".

She loved her faithful companion, Hobie, her cocker spaniel.

Theresa is survived by her children, Vickie (Thomas) Pangborn, of Traverse City, Thomas (Gloria) Holmes, of LeRoy, and Joey (Brenda) Holmes, of Gaylord; grandchildren, Christine Wherry, Emily Davies, Lance Holmes and Heidi Bartlett; and 11 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Wendell; son, Oliver; parents, Josef and Anna Harman; and siblings, Charles, Oszkar, Jozsef and Gizi.

Arrangements have been made through Peterson Funeral & Cremation Services in Cadillac.

A private memorial Mass for Theresa will be offered by Father Joe Fix and a springtime burial will take place at Burdell Township Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Agnes Catholic Church in Marion or the food backpack program; Uplift Pine River Kids, P.O. Box 131, Tustin, MI 49688, https://www.upliftpineriver.com.

An online guestbook is available at www.petersonfh.com.