Melba "Katy" Holmes, 66, of Amarillo passed away Wednesday, December 19, 2018 in Amarillo. Funeral services will be Saturday at 1:00 PM at the Mendez and Mullins Family Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Ken Varner and Pastor Chris Harris officiating, burial to follow at West Park Cemetery. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Mendez and Mullins Family Funeral Home of Hereford. Family and friend visitation will be Friday evening from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at the funeral home.

Katy was born February 29, 1952 in Friona, Texas to Maynard and Minnie (Mauldin) Applegate. Katy has been a resident of Amarillo for 30 years and was a resident of Hereford for 7 years prior to moving to Amarillo. She married the love of her life Oscar Holmes on January 8, 1968. Katy drove the Hereford Independent School bus for a few years and later when they moved to Amarillo she worked for the City of Amarillo as a dispatcher for the Amarillo Transit for five years. She and Oscar owned and operated a vegetable greenhouse in Canyon for ten years. Katy and Oscar were members of the Hereford Booster Club when their son played football. Katy enjoyed cooking, camping, gardening and she loved the mountains, but more than anything she loved and adored her grandchildren and great grandchildren and would tell each of them, "You're my favorite".

Those left to cherish her memory are her husband Oscar Holmes of Amarillo, a daughter Melanie Struchen and a son Richard Holmes both of Amarillo; four brothers Maynard Applegate of Pampa, Bill Applegate and Chris Applegate both of Littlefield, and Rudy Applegate of Amarillo; four sisters Judy Brown of Amarillo, Helen Clare of Coleman, Margaret Scott of Hereford and Gladys Walker of Oklahoma.

Katy is preceded in death by her parents, two aunts Rudy Smith and Betty Willham, a brother-in-law Robert Holmes, two sisters Francis Holbert and Edna Fox and two brothers Kenny Applegate and Gaylon Applegate.