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Theodore John
Holmlund
Theodore John Holmlund, was born May
06, 1905 in Buffalo, Erie County, New York and died July 04, 1973 in
Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York. He was the son of Johan
Vilhem Holmlund and Amanda Gustava Anderson.
Ted had the misfortune to lose both of
his parents early in childhood. He was raised on a farm near
Hamburg by an aunt and uncle. For years one of his duties was to
milk and feed the cows before breakfast and before going to school in
the mornings.
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God conferred on Ted a beautiful tenor
voice and a deep desire to study medicine. After completing his
pre-medical studies at the University of Buffalo, he graduated from
medical school in 1929. He financed his way through school singing
in church choirs on Sunday mornings. He attained the distinction
of being the highest paid church soloist in the city of Buffalo.
He married Dorothy Potter February 01, 1930 in Hamburg, New York,
daughter of Joseph and Flora Potter. She was born April 11, 1905
in Buffalo, Erie County, New York, and died January 05, 2000 in
Newton, New Jersey. Ted and Dorothy had two children:
James and David. After completing his internship at the
Lady of Victory hospital in Lackawanna, Ted settled in Cattaraugus, where
he practiced until 1943, when he moved to Jamestown. After World
War II began, he attempted to enlist in the Navy, but was not accepted
when x-rays revealed some healed tuberculosis scars.
In 1953, he suffered a severe coronary
attack. Subsequently, he had many painful recurrences which
culminated in open-heart surgery in 1966. While he survived the
open heart surgery he was continued to be bothered by coronary problems.
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Helen Arlene Rein was born in Jamestown, New York, on July 25, 1925. Born to
Melvin and Hilda Johnson
Rein, Helen was the youngest of three siblings. Helen had an older brother, Caryl, and an older sister, Louise. In 1929, Melvin's employment caused the family to move to Cambridge Springs. Helen graduated from Cambridge High School in 1943, having excelled in among other interests, basketball and piano. She continued her education at the WCA Hospital School of Nursing, beginning in 1943 and graduating in 1946.
She married Marshall Jones in 1946. They were secretly married, as the
nursing school forbade marriage prior to graduation. Nancy Helen Jones was born to their marriage on August 4, 1947. Helen and Marshall divorced around 1949. Helen began working as a nurse at a hospital and later worked as an office nurse for
Ted.
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Ted and Helen were married
January 15, 1955, and moved to a house on Hunt Road in Lakewood, New York. Ted adopted Nancy. Ted and Helen had four boys: Jon,
Mark and Steve (identical twins), and Jeff.
After marrying Ted, Helen retired from nursing and dedicated herself to being a mother to her
children. She was an excellent cook and chauffeur, taking the boys to baseball, swimming and other activities.
Away from the worries of his work,
Ted took great delight in looking after the welfare of the Jamestown
Falcons. Many people could testify to the happiness he received
from taking his gang of boys to the ball games.
Ted was always devoted to his patients
and their welfare was his chief concern. As a colleague, he was
serious, concerned and totally reliable. To know him was to have a
friend. A friend, Dr. Marvin Seigel, once said of Ted, "He
was my good friend, unassuming and always thoughtful and would
constantly state that he thought he and I were very much alike. I
find that a warm and kindly thought."
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Helen had many accomplishments. Her children still remember hearing her playing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2. She sewed beautifully and knitted. She bowled every week and was quite good. She also loved to golf and play bridge. She loved to go antiquing with friends and to take painting classes. She and Ted enjoyed fishing together. Generally she made friends easily and loved to have fun.
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Ted died on July 4th, 1973 in his
office in Jamestown after practicing medicine for over 30 years.
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Helen was a member of the First Covenant Church, where she taught Sunday school. She was known for her strong faith and motivation, even when faced with an illness that would eventually take her life. She discovered that she had cancer at age 42. Her favorite scripture was Isaiah 40:31: Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.
She died September 26, 1975.
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After Helen's death, Mark, Steve and Jeff
went to live with Nancy and her husband,
Bruce, in Boise, Idaho.
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Holmlund Family Photos
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