William "Bill" Leonard Farmer

Bill Farmer passed away on Jan 28, 2018, just one month after his 88th birthday after complications from a broken hip. A memorial service will be held on June 7th at 4 pm at Victory Church at 3220 11th Av S. Bill Farmer was born as William Leonard Farmer on Dec.29, 1929 in Great Falls, MT. He grew up on the Northside in a home on 6th Ave N and 10th Street reared by his mother and stepfather along with his brother, Alvin, who was three years younger. He attended McKinley Elementary School and Paris Gibson Junior High. As a young teen he was strong athletically and lifeguarded for the Morony Natatorium Pool. Bill graduated from Great Falls High School in 1947. Afterwards Bill enrolled in the Butte School of Mines for one year before getting hired by The Great Northern Railway. He worked various positions starting in the freight house, unloading baggage, brakeman, and finally as a switch foreman in the yard office until Aug.1958. Bill enlisted in the Air Force Reserves in Dec.1950. He was called up for active duty in May 1951 during the Korean War. He was assigned as a construction draftsman for the air installations squadron at Malmstrom Air Force Base. He achieved the rank of Airman First Class (3 stripes) before being honorably discharged in Nov.1952 whereupon he returned to his job at the Great Northern Railway in Great Falls. In 1958 he took on a second job at the Montana State Employment Agency (Job Service) as an interviewer. In 1958 he quit the railway to work full-time for the State. Soon Bill was promoted to Claims Supervisor in charge of handling claims benefits for persons who were unemployed. In 1988 he retired after 30 years of service. Bill met Alice Caroline Bryant at an Arthur Murray Dance Studio class. Alice was a registered nurse at the Deaconess Hospital (Benefis). They married on New Year’s Day 1956. When his first child was born Bill’s life purpose became self-evident: to be a great dad and just enjoy each day as it comes. Together Bill and Alice reared four children in a farmhouse relocated to 13th Street in Black Eagle complete with barn and chicken coop. He eventually became the proud grandfather of five grandchildren, a couple of step-grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Many neighborhood kids also unofficially adopted him as their grandpa. Bill loved fishing. When he wasn’t fishing, he was planning his next fishing trip. Bill soon discovered one of the bonuses to having a large family was the increased limit of fish that he could legally have in his possession. Bill preferred catching trout or whitefish; the latter he smoked in an old fridge he had converted into a smoker. Only during autumn did Bill lay down his rods and reels to pick up his hunting guns. Bill had a wry sense of humor; he loved telling puns and cracking jokes. It was hard for him to speak for more than two minutes without saying something silly or witty. This got him into trouble on more than one occasion when people took him seriously. Once a nurse asked him his name and he answered, “Mickey Mouse;” so she charted down that he didn’t know who he was. Bill was an avid TV and movie buff. He knew the names of virtually every major actor that graced the silver screen. He was proud of the fact that his Black Eagle home was the former childhood residence of the western movie star, George Montgomery (Letz). Bill wanted to watch just about everything and anything when he wasn’t fishing—alas, so many shows, so little time. In addition, Bill was an active member and usher of the First United Methodist Church and later in retirement when Bill and Alice changed membership to Victory Church he continued to serve as an usher. Bill’s palate was wide and varied: Burger Master’s Deluxe burger, the Big Mac, JB’s Big Boy Burger, Hardee’s Thickburger, Dave’s Double Cheeseburger, and his favorite: The Whopper—with fries and a root beer. On occasion Bill would venture forth from his comfort zone and have fried chicken or chili. He was a great short-order breakfast chef—serving a mean bowl of oatmeal on schooldays and pancakes or waffles on weekends. Also, Bill was an adept handyman. He could repair just about anything: cars, appliances, or broken toys. He had the mind of a mechanical engineer and came up with unique solutions to problems. Growing up in the Great Depression, Bill learned how to make do with whatever was freely available; PBS’s Red Green from Possum Lodge probably stole some of his ideas from Bill. The neighbors also thought he was running a used car lot. Finally, Bill loved animals. Bill and Alice as newlyweds adopted a black lab puppy. Soon there was a menagerie of pets in the Farmer household. During the last decade of his life, in addition to the companionship of some indoor cats, he fed stray cats and raccoons that showed up daily at his backdoor.In his later years Bill had the good fortune to become close friends with his neighbors Jim and Shelly Lamb.Jim and Bill enjoyed many, many good times together and both Jim and Shelly provided thoughtful, devoted caregiving assistance (especially Jim) which allowed Bill to remain living in his home. Bill was preceded in death by his father Frederick Farmer; mother Alma Grant;step-father James Grant, and his wife Alice Farmer. He is survived by his four children, Linda Farmer, Randall (Susan) Farmer, Carolyn (Michael) Ricchiuto and Ellen (Ronald) Waicul; his brother, Alvin (Marjorie) and many grand & great grandchildren.