“… Two of Bruce Holmes’ lifelong passions were model trains and model boats, many of them radio-controlled,” his widow, Pamela Tillson, wrote. “His model boats were works of art, some based on real ships and sailboats he saw on the Columbia River.

“He came from a long line of mariners. His father worked for the American President Line … (and) his great-grandfather, Capt. Calvin L. Hooper, was employed by the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, now known as the Coast Guard.

“Capt. Hooper and John Muir (the renowned naturalist) traveled … from California to Alaska on the sailing ship, The Corwin, in 1881, where Capt. Hooper became famous for his discovery of Wrangel Island, north of Alaska in the Chukchi Sea.

“Bruce was fascinated by the Coast Guard and its history. Following his retirement, Bruce spent time as a volunteer at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. He helped repair boats and equipment that were displayed in the museum. 

“While he was a volunteer, Bruce watched the construction of the museum’s Warnock Model Boat Pond, in 2019. On Jan. 27, 2020, he was finally able to float one of his homemade model boats. At the time, he didn’t know that it was the first model boat on the pond.” 

To commemorate this first, the maritime museum placed a brick near the Barbey Maritime Center, which is close by the pond, after his passing in May 2024. (Photo: Pamela Tillson)