Mitchell "Mitch" Ryan Holmes

Mitchell "Mitch" Ryan Holmes, 33, of Amarillo died November 28, 2022.

Memorial service will be at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, December 3, 2022 at Washington Avenue Christian Church, 3800 S. Washington.

Mitch didn’t so much march to his own drum. He took the drum apart, then left pieces with friends as he carried it along on his unicycle. He was funny, insightful and a dedicated friend. Blessed with a curiosity to explore new things and a marvelously short attention span, Mitch was never one to be hemmed in by convention or tradition. He graduated from Tascosa High School after a stint at the Amarillo Area Center for Advanced Learning (AACAL), where he displayed keen intellect and the New Mexico Military Institute, where he put that creativity into challenging boundaries.

The walls of academia or a corporate cubicle could never hold Mitch. He had a cup of coffee at West Texas A&M and decided he didn’t care for cappuccinos or college. His passion for anything on wheels led him to the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, where he learned enough about the inner mysteries of Harley Davidsons to realize that wasn’t the career for him, either.

Mitch traveled the world extensively, visiting Europe, and residing in Arizona and Colorado, with extended stays in California and Nevada. Along the way, he worked in ski areas, service industries, construction, mechanics shops and even as a cook for a rodeo. Mitch didn’t live to work. The current job was simply a paycheck supporting the life he wanted to live. And live he did. A grand time followed Mitch wherever he went. Being surrounded by friends, family, or his online gaming crew brought him true joy. He had many loves but never married. His constant companion was Liz, his mountain cur dog, by his side even to the end as his body failed and the rigors of a life enjoyed to the fullest took their final toll. Mitch didn’t really battle alcoholism, but he wrestled as best he could, and it proved his undoing.

Far too soon, Mitch leaves behind a host of saddened friends around the world. Survivors include his mother and stepfather, Janet and Robert Ferrin of Amarillo; his father and stepmother, Jim and Elisa Holmes of Aledo, TX; his Amarillo family includes his brother and sister-in-law, Jon and Hannah Ferrin; his maternal grandmother Shirley Payne; his paternal grandfather Jimmy Holmes; grandparents Samuel and Mary Deviney of Fort Worth and numerous uncles, aunts and cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandmother Betty Holmes, grandfather Jack Payne; grandparents Robert and Tyo Ferrin.

In lieu of flowers; donations to Washington Avenue Christian Church and/or BSA Hospice of the Southwest, 1910 Medi Park Dr., 79106.