Leonard ‘Lenny’ Holmes, 71, of Francestown, NH went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, after facing many health challenges.

Lenny was born on April 8, 1955, Good Friday, in Weymouth, MA, son of the late Richard and Virginia (Lockwood) Holmes. He attended Weymouth Public Schools, graduating from Weymouth South High School in 1973. He then earned two degrees and graduated from the University of Lowell with the classes of 1978 and 1979 with degrees in Performing and Musical Education.

Lenny had made many accomplishments in music early in his life. He had traveled extensively with the Concordia Youth Wind Ensemble as well as having played for The Boston Ballet and the Hingham Civic Theatre. Later, after playing at the Colonial Theater in Boston, he joined the King Ludwigs Bavarian Band while still very young and was able to play at Canobie Lake Park and Crotched Mountain Ski Area and many other Oktoberfest’s in the New England area. He was also invited to play for the Patriots at their entrances into the stadium and sang the National Anthem for them. He also enjoyed playing for WBZ‘s Schussboomer weekends. In high school, Lenny was rated the number one tuba player in New England. He was even invited to help the Norwood High School on their International Tour when their own tuba player fell ill. More recently, Lenny had been playing with Fred Marple’s ‘Speed Bumps’ Band in Frost Heaves to the delight of many local residents.

Later, Lenny taught Chorus and Band at Jaffrey-Rindge Middle School and Conant High School in Jaffrey for more than 32 years. He developed an award-winning band that was invited to play in parades across New England and at the Big E, as well as in New York City’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He also directed many musicals through the years like The Sound of Music, and many more.

In his spare time, Lenny was an avid hunter and loved golfing, swimming and skiing. He particularly liked traveling with his wife, both locally and abroad. Together, they visited many of the National Parks across the United States, as well as touring around Europe, Russia, and much of Alaska through the years.

In addition to his parents, Lenny was preceded in death by his sister, Cynthia A. Hoefel, and by his brother, David E. Holmes

Lenny is survived by his wife of 43 years, Kristin Holmes, of Francestown, his twin brother Lawrence ‘Larry’ Holmes and his wife Ann Kilmartin of Chelmsford, MA, his brother Richard F. Holmes and his wife Gerrie of Fort Collins, Colorado, and by many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, and many cousins and friends.

At Lenny’s request, all services will be private and held at the convenience of his family.

In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting the Music Education Scholarship being established in Lenny‘s name at the University of Lowell, by sending donations to The Good Neighbor Fund, PO Box 486, Jaffrey, NH 03452. This address will be updated once all of the details are finalized with the school.