Mrs. Agnes Eleanor (Holmes) McGregor, PhD, 80, of McDonough, GA (formerly of the Jackson Hamlet Community), entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, August 27, 2025.

Dr. Agnes Eleanor Holmes McGregor was the youngest daughter of Clifton Holmes and Sarah Margaret Holmes. She was born on August 16, 1945, in the Addor Community of Pinebluff, North  Carolina. She resided in Taylortown with her family before moving to the Jackson Hamlet Community of Aberdeen, North Carolina, when she was nine years old.

Agnes accepted Christ at an early age and became an active member of Love Grove Freewill Baptist Church in the Jackson-Hamlet Community, where she enjoyed attending Sunday School and began teaching the junior Sunday School class as a teenager.

Agnes attended Berkley Elementary School beginning in the third grade. She always had a smile on her face and was friendly to most people she met. Agnes took her studies seriously, earning  the title of co-valedictorian of her graduating class of Berkley High School in 1963. She earned admission to St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she majored in elementary  education. She maintained a high GPA throughout her college years, earning a spot in the honor roll during each of her four years. Agnes graduated from college in 1967 with honors.

Agnes began her lifelong love of education and service in the United States Peace Corps, where she was stationed in Jamaica, West Indies. She trained students learning to become elementary  school teachers for two years before returning to San Diego to serve as an elementary school teacher herself.

In her early 20s, Agnes left San Diego and moved back to the East Coast, where she taught elementary school in the District of Columbia and Baltimore, Maryland for a total of three years.  During this time, she lived with her sister, Mary, and regularly visited her Uncle James. 

Agnes married her childhood sweetheart, Phil McGregor, in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1973. Both passionate educators, they relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. They began teaching in the DeKalb County School System, which was one of the largest school systems in the state at the time.

Agnes and Phil welcomed their first son, Brian Sebastian McGregor, on July 27, 1976, soon followed by Sean Philip McGregor, born August 1, 1980.

Agnes and her family attended several local churches in DeKalb and Fulton Counties before eventually becoming members of Beulah Missionary Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia, in the  1980s. Agnes continued her education, enrolling at Georgia State University in 1990 and earning a Master’s Degree and an Education Specialist Degree in Education. She became Assistant  Principal of Peachcrest Elementary School after earning her advanced degrees. She earned her Doctoral Degree from Clark Atlanta University, specializing in early childhood education in the mid- 1990s, after which she became the principal of Midway Elementary School.

Dr. McGregor was an instructional coordinator in the DeKalb School System’s District Office. There, she was in charge of the county’s Pre-Kindergarten program. After serving for 41 years as an  educator, she retired from the DeKalb School System in 2004.

Agnes served faithfully at Beulah Missionary Baptist Church as a coordinator in the Christian Education Ministry, which focused on Christian discipleship and developing the church’s Bible Study 
curriculum. She co-founded the L.E.A.P. Program, which stood for Learning & Educational Advancement Program, and also served a term as chairperson of the Deaconess Board.

Dr. McGregor was preceded in death by her mother, Sarah Margaret Holmes, her father, Clifton Holmes, and her sister, Mary.

Those left to cherish many fond memories of Agnes are her loving husband of 52 years, Phil McGregor of McDonough, GA; her sons, Dr. Brian McGregor (Sharla) of Atlanta, GA, and Sean  McGregor of McDonough; a brother, Bruce Holmes (Lenolia) of Aberdeen NC; sister Hattie McLaughlin of Pinehurst, NC; two granddaughters, Ayo McGregor and Ife McGregor of Atlanta; and a  host of cousins, nieces, nephews, other family, and friends.

Please keep the family and friends of Mrs. Agnes Eleanor (Holmes) McGregor, PhD in your thoughts and prayers. 

Arrangements are entrusted to McLeod Funeral Home of Southern Pines, North Carolina.