At the time of his death in 1986, his colleagues wrote this of J. Lister Holmes:

"It's sad to say good-bye to someone you've always respected in the profession. I worked for Lister only briefly, at SHA (Seattle Housing Authority [Yesler Terrace]), but I visited and admired many of his buildings. As far as I know he never did a bad job." - Fred Bassetti FAIA

"In 1939 I went to work for J. Lister Holmes, for ten years before starting my own office. Lister helped many of us get started, giving us great insight into good architecture. We will miss a very special person." - Carl Gould Jr. AIA