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ST. LOUIS — A mother of five and great-grandmother of eight was killed when her longtime house collapsed in Friday’s tornado while she headed to the basement for cover, her family said Monday.

Delois Holmes, 70, had lived in the house in the 4500 block of Cote Brilliante Avenue, in St. Louis’ the Ville neighborhood, for more than four decades.

She raised her five sons there and renovated the home bit by bit over the years until it was just the way she liked it. And she spent most of her time since retirement planting her backyard garden.

“Our home was her pride and joy,” said her son Reginald Holmes, 36, who lived with his mother. “Now it’s all gone.”

Delois Holmes is one of five people killed in Friday’s tornado. Friends and family have also identified Patricia Penelton, a longtime cook and volunteer at Centennial Christian Church who was trapped when the church bell tower collapsed, and Juan Baltazar, owner of a Mexican street corn food truck who was killed by a tree that fell in Carondelet Park. Authorities had not identified any of the dead as of Monday afternoon.

On Friday, Delois Holmes had asked Reginald to go out to a store to get her some snacks, he said. She loved to treat herself.

But as Holmes drove to the store, his phone buzzed with a warning about severe weather. Then his car started to shake.

He parked and ran home and found the walls had collapsed, he said. He found his mother on the basement stairs.

Delois Holmes was the matriarch of a large family, including 13 grandchildren and the eight great-grandchildren. She often took Holmes’ daughter Re’Zyla, 6, to the store with her to get her chocolate milk or another snack to enjoy with her.

“She is loved beyond measure, missed more than anyone could imagine,” her son Reginald Holmes said in an email.

Last week, the entire family gathered at her house for food, music and laughter, keeping up a Sunday tradition they started years ago.

“We were just able to be ourselves and enjoy those moments with our mom, just like old times,” Reginald Holmes said.

A “people person,” Delois Holmes was a surrogate mother of sorts to other neighborhoods kids, her son said.

“If you needed anything — a place to sleep, a meal, just someone to talk to — she was there for you,” he said. “She was always listening to neighbors and would help in any way she could.”

Delois Holmes retired from St. Louis Club, an event space, where she’d worked for over two decades, Reginald Holmes said.

“We think about her each and every day, each and every second,” he said.