Dianne Holmes Crow, 74, of Virginia Beach, VA, passed away on August 10, 2025.
Dianne was a graduate of Ferguson High School, class of 1969. She was the 3rd eldest of 8 children to James Holmes, Sr. and Josephine Donaldson Holmes.
As a young girl, Dianne was headstrong and defiant with a passion for dogs. Reene, her sister, remembers vividly when at a young age Dianne was insistent that her parents get a dog for her or she would “stare directly into the upcoming solar eclipse and go blind” if they didn’t comply. Dianne adopted many, many dogs over the years. She collected countless plants throughout her life; the bigger the better. Her homes often had more plants than living space.
At 19 years old, Dianne was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and was in and out of the hospital for most of her adult life. Taking it in stride, she lived her best life. She took any opportunity to go horseback riding, sledding and making road trips to the Outer Banks to camp with friends and family. During one of those camping trips, Dianne could be heard singing at the top of her lungs to songs from Linda Ronstadt’s Heart Like a Wheel album – one of her personal favorites.
She was preceded in death by her husband, John Crow; her parents, James and Josephine Holmes and her siblings, Sharon “Sherry” Varacalli, Kevin Holmes, David Holmes and Stephen Holmes. She is survived by her sons, Justin and Seth Ramirez both of Newport News, VA; her grandchild, Millia Ramirez of Virginia Beach, VA – who she referred to Dianne and John as her “Mom and Pop” along with her sisters, Lorreen “Reene” Thon of McKinney, TX and JoAnne Wilson of Richmond, VA and her brother, James Holmes Jr. of Wilmington, NC and a host of nieces and nephews.
Dianne was a good wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. She was a kind soul with a goofy sense of humor and will be missed by anyone who truly knew her.
A Memorial Service will be planned for a later date.
