Thomas (Tom) Farley, 93, of Birmingham, passed away on November 1, 2022. Tom was born on February 10, 1929, to the late John Edgar and Grace Farley.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Joan Nelson Farley, and sisters, Bonnie Stanley and Colleen Noah.
He attended Jones Valley High School and graduated from Paul Hayne Vocational School in 1947. In 1949, he married his sweetheart Joan, and they were married for 69 years. He was a US Army Reservist for four years. He began work at US Steel/TCI and was given the opportunity to apprentice as a bricklayer. From that point, he worked his way up in the home-building business. He retired in 1994 as the owner of Farley Homes, a successful construction company that built many homes in the Eastern end of Birmingham.
He was a member of Huffman United Methodist Church for 60 years and was in the Friendship and then the Loyal Friends Class. His church family was dear to his heart.
His greatest joy was his family. He took pride in supporting each generation in any way he could and with any interest they had. Tom had many passions—he loved to travel, camp, fish, play golf, and watch football, and he found a late-in-life love of art in painting.
Tom had a larger-than-life personality. Everyone who knew him knew that he would give the shirt off his back to help others. He loved his family and friends fiercely and could captivate a room with his stories. The world is a little more dull now that he is gone.
He is survived by his daughters Laura Farley, Carol (Dale) Lewis, and Yolanda (Alan) Taylor; granddaughters Delia Lewis, Whitney (Ben) Jackson, Ally (Robert) Coleman, Kelsey (Matthew) Walk; eight great-grandchildren, Farley, Luke, Sloane, Claire, Rylee Jo, Hattie Joy, Bo, and Charlotte; special friends Teresa Tennyson and Betty Burrus; and many other nieces, nephews, cousins, and good friends.
A funeral service, officiated by Rev. Angela Martin, will be held at Huffman United Methodist Church on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at 2:00 p.m., with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. There will be a graveside service Monday, November 7, 2022, at Valhalla Cemetery at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Huffman United Methodist Church.