Tom Farney

Thomas “Tom” Eugene Farney was the eldest child of Helen and Huber Farney was born in Wichita, Kansas on July 30, 1948. He passed in Wichita KS on July 18, 2024, at the age of 75 years of age, 2 weeks before his 76th birthday. 

 After high school, Tom attended Fort Hays State University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Soil Science in 1971. While at Fort Hays State University he was a little too focused on his ‘extracurricular’ activities and finding the perfect woman. It just so happened, Tom was in choir and saw a beautiful young lady and asked her out on a date. Tom thought her name was Georgine according to the seating chart and didn’t find out until later that this hot little things name was Gay Lee Webs. Tom and Georgine (aka Gay), met in October and 3 months later at the age of 21, Tom married his beautiful and devoted wife Jan 25, 1970. Tom had a 1966 Chevelle Super Sport car that was Yellow with a black vinyl top but later, much to his dismay, he sold it to accommodate their new baby, Brandon.

 The couple moved to Manhattan where he continued his education and earned his teaching certificate. Tom worked as an Ag teacher and FFA Advisor at Ark City, KS high school for 2 years. In Ark City, their first child, Brandon was born in 1972. The 3 moved to Ulysses KS where Tom attended the Farmland Industries 18-month Manager Training Program, then went to work as an office manager at the Ulysses Coop for a two years. Eventually, they moved back ‘home’ to Hazelton, KS where they had their lovely daughter, Kristen in 1977. Tom was the coop assistant office manager in Hazelton for many years while he was working on the Farney family farm. Tom was the 4th generation to manage the farm East of Kiowa. He enjoyed farming many acres of wheat alongside his dad Huber B. Farney. In 1979, Tom bought his first fertilizer truck, and he began applying fertilizer and chemicals for the coop as a commercial applicator and continued to do so for 40 years. Tom served on the South Barber school board for 16 years. Tom and his family attended the Apostolic Christian Church where he was an active member of the church from the time he was 28 years old until his death. He served as church treasurer, Sunday school teacher and song leader after his dad, Huber passed in 1996. 

 In 1994, Tom and his family made the long 7 mile move to Kiowa from Hazelton where he lived with Gay until he passed. Tom and Gay celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2020. They were married for 54 years.

 At the age of 45, Tom began exhibiting signs of Charcot-Marie Tooth; a hereditary debilitating disease that continued to progress making it more difficult for Tom to get around and care for himself until his death. Even though he was disabled, that didn’t stop him from wanting to be at the farm and continue to work and help where he could. 

 Tom was a hard worker and did so to comfortably care for and provide for his family. Tom always had ideas in which he would reach out to anyone who may be able to help him implement his ideas as crazy as they may have been. As hard as Tom worked and was dedicated to his farming operation, he liked to ‘play’ when he had the chance. Therefore, every Summer, Tom enjoyed taking his family to Pla-Port Resort at Table Rock Lake where they stayed and had a blast and entertained their friends for 2 weeks. He enjoyed inviting everyone he knew to join them and made sure he had a place big enough to host whoever wanted to come! Anyone who knew Tom knew one of his gifts was generosity. He would give anyone anything they needed at any time. If he knew someone was looking for something, he loved getting on the computer searching until he found what they (or he thought they needed). He was always willing to lend a hand or help those less fortunate where he was able to do so. He loved being the project leader and we always said he could keep an army busy with all his plans and ideas. Towards the end of his life, he was less able to get around and do things himself, so he had a lot of ideas for others to do and didn’t hesitate to tell them ‘how’ to do it. There was only one way to do things and that was “Toms way.” 

 Tom was preceded in death by his parents: Huber (1996) and Helen (2022) Farney whom resided in Kiowa living on the family farm prior to their deaths.

 Tom is survived by his wife Gay Lee Farney of Kiowa, Sister Aleta Banwart (Donald) of Fort Scott, Children: Brandon Farney (Marianna) of Kiowa and Kristen Flavell (Edgar) of Wichita. Grandchildren: Shania Tristen Farney of Limestone Tennessee, Brian Benjamin Farney (Jennifer) of Hazelton, Joseph Thomas Farney (Malorie) of Sharon, Brayden Leighton Flavell of Wichita, Chandler Ray Flavell of Wichita and Great Granddaughter, Sophia Marie Farney. Tom loved his kids and grandkids and was blessed to watch them grow to be adults. He was proud of each one of them for their accomplishments and appreciated all their different paths and personalities. Tom is also survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews, friends and family. 

 The last few years of Toms life he was ‘retired’ physically but his mind was always busy and working. Gay retired 4 years ago and was there by his side being his caregiver. He thoroughly enjoyed watching movies over and over expecting the ending to change :) , playing music on YouTube and entertaining his great granddaughter Sophia. He loved watching her play, learn to talk and they listened to YouTube music together while she would dance and sit on his lap. He loved her coming to the house, feeding her popsicles and ice cream bars and hearing her say “Where’s Papa?” The last few months he had his golf cart and enjoyed going on drives around Kiowa with Gay and occasionally Sophia; Tom stopped to visit with anyone that was outside as well as driving to the outskirts of town to enjoy the sunsets.

 Tom was beyond happy this Summer when he was able to drive his combine and help with harvest for 11 days straight. He was happily exhausted at the end of the day; but he was thrilled to have something productive and outside to do and get out of the house for a few days doing what he enjoyed most. He thoroughly enjoyed running the combine and all farm equipment as farming was in his blood. He enjoyed food and especially chocolate in the form of cookies, pies, pastries, donuts etc. He requested on a daily basis that Gay make these items for him; despite his diabetic doctors orders. :) 

 On July 18, 2024, the day of his passing, they met in Wichita with cousin Mark and Jan Aberle for lunch to celebrate their upcoming 76th birthdays, just hours before his passing. They had a wonderful lunch and time together. Tom always enjoyed being with his friends and family, sharing a meal and stories. After lunch, Tom demanded Gay to take him to Krispy Kreme where he consumed his last 2 glazed DONUTS, received mouth to mouth from Gay -which made his day and all he ever dreamed of. This is the exact way he would have wanted to go! :)

Funeral Service will be Monday, July 22, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at the Apostolic Christian Church in Kiowa. There will be a time of visitation and viewing before and after the service at the church. Private Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery. Arrangements are by Lanman Funeral Home, Inc. of Kiowa