We are proud to say we have simply amazing people in our family of Clients. Each month we take time out to shine a spotlight on our clients’ accomplishments, passions, and experience. Please meet James & John Holehouse:

James (Jim) G. Holehouse

To the present day, Jim’s personality has wedded the miracles of art and science. The genesis of his personality development began to unfold when Jim was in kindergarten. Having recently   encouraged plants to flourish from simple, unassuming seeds at school, Jim asked his parents to replicate this creation process with him at home.  Jim and his parents began by developing an original “organic fertilizer” to enhance the corn growing process. In the secrecy of darkness, Jim’s dad and farmer friend planted live, mature cornstalks into that organic fertilizer garden space.  The next morning, Jim nonchalantly checked his seeds, only to be astonished by the miraculous results of his uniquely effective fertilizer!                              

Kindergarten germinated another life form of incredible appeal for Jim.  Large rolls of paper and unlimited access to paints became the seed that brought to fruition brilliant form and color upon his painted paper. 

As the oldest of nine children, Jim thrived in the small community of Coshocton, which is nestled in the rolling hills of east central Ohio. Jim excelled in school, earned the esteemed Eagle award in Boy Scouts, and held a variety of jobs such as lifeguarding at the local lake, and delivering appliances for a Main Street vendor. As a kick-off into Jim’s future endeavors, his high school art teacher, Mr. Vincent, perceived and encouraged the motivation and potential he saw in Jim as a blossoming artist. Mr. Vincent offered Jim ideas for projects; then stepped back and smiled as he witnessed the unfurling of Jim’s impressive portfolio of artwork.     

Jim traveled to embrace and capture the immense beauty of this planet’s nature and the unique architecture of different countries. As a scuba diver, sailboat owner, parachute jumper, mountain bicyclist, and kayaker, Jim offered artwork of eye-catching dynamic movement and vibrant hued watercolor paintings.  Jim has received numerous recognition awards for his work, and has donated many paintings for worthy causes. Disney World, Sea World, and his own art gallery offered his talent to many art connoisseurs over the years. Hotels, restaurants, legal, medical, and business offices have also capitalized upon the decorative enhancement of Jim’s watercolor paintings.  Even MacDill Air Force Base in Florida utilized Jim’s exemplary portrayal of their flight history at their conference headquarters.

Jim’s relentless pursuit of selling his art also was undertaken at country-wide art festivals, as he set up his booth and hung his pieces, to be highlighted by a superb lighting system.  The addictive component for the traveling art salesman, became the euphoria of large painting sales earning thousands of dollars, versus the rare time he sold little.  Jim gambled his sustenance upon the appeal of his unique artwork.  

Life thrusts many calamities at us when we least expect them.  Jim had just survived the dry spell of the corona virus shutdown for artists when he began his own personal shut-down because of dramatic trauma to his health. Having completed an art show at Maitland, Florida, he suddenly was hospitalized for a five-centimeter tear in his thoracic aorta, and suffered brain aneurysms, a stroke, and literally was on the verge of death.  With sheer perseverance, determination, and the grace of God, Jim began the arduous path to recovery.  Concurrently with the medical field, Fanny Mackey of The Elder Law Center of Kirson and Fuller, has played a predominate role in saving Jim’s life as she helped pave the road to financial support for Jim to recover from such medical duress. Jim’s progress in the past four months has truly been a miracle!  

 John G. Holehouse

The second child added to the motley crew of the nine Holehouse children was John, who was a year younger than Jim. Jim was a model of adventure to John, and when they were both grade schoolers, they decided to be official run-aways by attaching secretly obtained cookies wrapped in a bandana to a stick. They hiked into an area where homeless men congregated, only to have one “hobo” return the boys to their somewhat grateful mother, after all had consumed the contraband cookies. (Stranger danger was not yet a foreboding concept.)  The boys enjoyed unusual self-generated games, that sometimes-had deleterious results.  The game that risked John’s health involved two groups of boys facing each other from opposite curbs on the street.  Each boy had his arsenal of stones which were thrown at the boy seated on the curb opposite him.  It was permissible to “dodge” the stones as long as one remained seated across from his opponent.  John was not quick enough in responding to the projectile that landed squarely upon his unsuspecting forehead.  All the boys gathered around John, swearing they had never seen so much blood, as they gazed intently in absorbed interest at the shocked and copiously bleeding John, simply fascinated by his injury.  

Science and art also held their allure for John, who had a rather obsessive eye for detail. John was a good student, with preference for the natural sciences. John ground the mirror and constructed his own telescope, thus winning a National Science Fair First Place Award in Washington DC with his moon eclipse photographs taken with his telescope. Jim and John received lessons in building projects as they built their own clubhouse and later helped Dad build additional rooms onto the family home. Both boys had paper routes, and had jobs throughout their high school years. John became a shoe salesman, and he and his sister competed to obtain the highest commission for sales.

John and Jim had developed such parallel interests, that they relocated initially to Arizona and later to Florida together. Out west, John was a professional prospector and photographer.  When he and Jim went to Florida, John created magnificent glass etching pictures, some the size of glass walls for millionaires’ yachts. John, with his obsessive eye for detail, also became a fastidious matting and framing expert for Jim, enlarging already grandiose paintings! John became the art business accountant, along with his photography and glass etching.

The two had shared so many common interests such as boating, mountain hiking, white water rafting, roller blading, and travel with a group of friends who shared in the “action”.  John also took college nature classes so he could share pertinent ecology information with school children. Life continued to be a big adventure until John suffered a major health setback.  In 2017, John underwent 12 hours of brain surgery, only to suffer further repercussions like seizures that precipitated falls and further injury.  John was unable to sustain his fiercely independent lifestyle, thus Fanny Mackey of the Elder Law Center of Kirson and Fuller, helped John secure quality living at Solaris Lake Bennett.     

It has been our pleasure at the Elder Law Center of Kirson & Fuller to assist Jim & John Holehouse with their elder law needs.  As an expression of our appreciation, the firm will donate $100.00 to the Winter Garden Art Association in Winter Garden, FL.