FREEDOM — Maine State Police say a well-known Belfast businesswoman died this morning when her pickup truck slid off Route 137 in Freedom and struck a tree.  The woman’s granddaughter escaped the crash with minor injuries.
 
Trooper Donald Webber said the crash victim is Ruth Holmes, who was dead at the scene.  Her granddaughter, 11-year-old Cassie Jackson, of Searsport, sustained bumps and bruises and was treated at the hospital in Belfast, according to a news release. Webber said Holmes, 64, lost control of the truck on the ice-covered road, just after 7 a.m. The truck flipped on its side and slid into a tree, crushing the roof.  Both were wearing their seat belts.
 
Holmes and her family have operated Holmes Greenhouse and Florist Shop in Belfast for years. Her husband, Allen, just retired last month as the Belfast High School field hockey coach, after serving as coach for 40 years. Allen Holmes also is a retired physical education teacher at the Belfast Middle School.