Deborah Holmes
Tribute by Cynthia Nimmo, former President and CEO of Women's Funding Network
April 2018

This evening I am writing to you, our many sisters throughout the network, to share the devastating news that Deborah Holmes passed away this morning, April 27.

Deborah learned two weeks ago that she had cancer.  She was prepared to fight it with the tenacity she brought to everything.  Despite her and her doctors’ best efforts, this final battle was lost.  I know this comes as a shock and our team joins you in our grief and disbelief.  Deborah was a very private person and had not wanted to share her news while she was on her healing journey.  Just a week ago we talked about her wishes to get back to work as soon as possible, however, things turned very quickly and now she is gone. 

I spent much of the past 3 days in the ICU with Deborah.  It is important to me that you know that Deborah was at peace and she made sure to write that down so we knew.  She liked her doctors and knew they were making every attempt to heal her.  She was a long-time member of Grace Cathedral and they sent a Reverend over within minutes of her arrival at the ICU to pray with her.  This morning we prayed with her to send her on her way home.

In true Deborah fashion, she wanted nothing to do with flowers or cards or people crying over her.  When we asked her what her wishes were for her service, she said a service wasn’t important to her but we could all have one if we wanted.  Deborah’s brother, Greg Holmes, will plan a service with Grace Cathedral to be held in May. Women’s Funding Network will be honoring her in every way we can think of to reflect the force for good that she was.

Deborah’s focus has always been on helping others, and to right the injustices women face – in particular women of color. We at Women’s Funding Network, will continue this work.  For us, Deborah was far more than a Chief Communications Officer.  She was my confidante, our big picture thinker, and a voice that ensured the intersection of race and gender was at the forefront at all times.  She brought such vibrancy to our office, always playing music, bringing in home-made treats, and yelling out loud at the bad news of the day.  As a CEO, it is a gift to work with such a leader.  I speak for our team when I say we learned so much from Deborah.  I respected her deeply and will miss her always.