Obituaries

Benjamyn Owen Holmes, age 26, a lifelong West Scranton resident, passed away peacefully on Saturday.
Born on September 22, 1994 and the loving son of the late Karen (Zenker) Holmes and Paul Holmes and fiance Kathryn O’Brien of West Scranton, Ben was a graduate of West Scranton High School before attending Wilkes University. He loved cooking so it’s only fitting that he was a preparation chef in the local restaurant business, last working for The Cabin Bar & Grill in Taylor.
Growing up, he played baseball at Lackawanna Little League, was a member of the Saint Ann’s Boy Scouts – Throop #50, and enjoyed hunting at the Oak Hill Rod & Gun Club, where he was a junior member.
A talented artist, he was skilled in drawing and woodworking. A lover of all types of music, he especially loved KISS. A fan since the age of five, Ben had fond memories of his second row seats alongside his Dad at two seperate KISS concerts.
Ben was charming, intelligent, fun-loving, caring and compassionate, but above all he was loving, and that characteristic will never be forgotten.
He is also survived by his loving family, Kathryn’s daughters, Amalia Thomas and Haley O’Brien; paternal grandparents, Owen Holmes and Gail Degavage; godparents, Rosalie and Wayne Warner; an aunt, Laurie Walsh, uncles, Leon, John, Carl and Phil Zenker and Charles Degavage; several cousins, countless friends and his adored cat, “Beanie.”
His maternal grandparents, Naomi and John Zenker; and an aunt, Karen Zenker, also preceded him in death.
A private blessing service will be held from the Kevin K. Kearney Funeral Home, Inc., 125 North Main Avenue, Scranton.
“Tomorrow is never a guarantee.”