Joe Farkas passed away on January 23rd, three days shy of his 78th birthday.
He was the son of Jessie and George Farkas of New York City. Joe grew up in Manhattan, joining a Hohner Accordion Orchestra at age seven where he gained a lifelong skill and joy in playing, sharing, and listening to music with friends and family.
He graduated from Stuyvesant High School and Hunter College with a degree in math education. Living all over New York City for 36 years, he worked several jobs; teaching math, owning a novelty store on the Upper East Side, working the night shift at the Cloisters Museum and serving as Payroll Manager and financial advisor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for 13 years. All this while stepping out evenings to hone his disco dancing. He loved being a New Yorker, exploring the city, and knowing it like the back of his hand.
In the late 1960's Joe because deeply interested in meditation and spirituality, practicing and later lecturing on metaphysics in bookstores and at the historic Fraunces Tavern. Joe met his wife Caryl at one of those lectures in 1984.
In 1986 they moved to Taos, New Mexico, where they built their own home, started a Russian tea room at the Fechin House museum, and played in shows featuring Russian folk music. Joe became gallery director for the Rod Goebel Gallery.
In 1997, with their first child, Anna, they moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where Joe was elected First Reader of the Christian Science church there and went into the full-time public practice of Christian Science, later becoming Committee on Publication for the church in that state, working with the media, legislature and federal government to support Christian Science in Wisconsin.
Joe's greatest delight and satisfaction was his family. In 2000 he and Caryl adopted Jae (FKA Joy) from Guangzhou, China. He was a devoted and father and husband and took great pleasure in traveling around the world with his family and having adventures with them. He loved cooking, trying recipes, sharing old family favorite dishes, gifting chocolate and eating good food with family and loved friends.
In 2014 he and Caryl returned to New Mexico to retire. Retirement involved spending much of the next ten years working for the City of Santa Fe as an information specialist, where he enjoyed helping tourists have their best experience of the area, as well as working for his church, and helping create Upstart Crows of Santa Fe, a youth Shakespeare troupe started by Anna and Caryl.
He is remembered by all who knew him for his exceptional kindness and thoughtfulness, his sense of humor, love for his wife and children, his apple strudel, homemade pickles and bread, his stories of life in New York and the adventures he took part in.
He is survived by his wife, Caryl and children, Anna and Jae.
"... over and above it all are eternal sunshine and joy unspeakable." - Mary Baker Eddy
He was the son of Jessie and George Farkas of New York City. Joe grew up in Manhattan, joining a Hohner Accordion Orchestra at age seven where he gained a lifelong skill and joy in playing, sharing, and listening to music with friends and family.
He graduated from Stuyvesant High School and Hunter College with a degree in math education. Living all over New York City for 36 years, he worked several jobs; teaching math, owning a novelty store on the Upper East Side, working the night shift at the Cloisters Museum and serving as Payroll Manager and financial advisor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for 13 years. All this while stepping out evenings to hone his disco dancing. He loved being a New Yorker, exploring the city, and knowing it like the back of his hand.
In the late 1960's Joe because deeply interested in meditation and spirituality, practicing and later lecturing on metaphysics in bookstores and at the historic Fraunces Tavern. Joe met his wife Caryl at one of those lectures in 1984.
In 1986 they moved to Taos, New Mexico, where they built their own home, started a Russian tea room at the Fechin House museum, and played in shows featuring Russian folk music. Joe became gallery director for the Rod Goebel Gallery.
In 1997, with their first child, Anna, they moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where Joe was elected First Reader of the Christian Science church there and went into the full-time public practice of Christian Science, later becoming Committee on Publication for the church in that state, working with the media, legislature and federal government to support Christian Science in Wisconsin.
Joe's greatest delight and satisfaction was his family. In 2000 he and Caryl adopted Jae (FKA Joy) from Guangzhou, China. He was a devoted and father and husband and took great pleasure in traveling around the world with his family and having adventures with them. He loved cooking, trying recipes, sharing old family favorite dishes, gifting chocolate and eating good food with family and loved friends.
In 2014 he and Caryl returned to New Mexico to retire. Retirement involved spending much of the next ten years working for the City of Santa Fe as an information specialist, where he enjoyed helping tourists have their best experience of the area, as well as working for his church, and helping create Upstart Crows of Santa Fe, a youth Shakespeare troupe started by Anna and Caryl.
He is remembered by all who knew him for his exceptional kindness and thoughtfulness, his sense of humor, love for his wife and children, his apple strudel, homemade pickles and bread, his stories of life in New York and the adventures he took part in.
He is survived by his wife, Caryl and children, Anna and Jae.
"... over and above it all are eternal sunshine and joy unspeakable." - Mary Baker Eddy
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