Dean Farley

1935 - 2021

Dean Everett Farley
3/9/1935 - 2/17/2021
Dean Everett Farley, born to Faris James and Lydia Elizabeth (Martin) Farley on a small dirt dairy farm in Wilder, Idaho passed away February 17, 2021 in Marysville, Washington from complications of Parkinson's disease and cancer. His wife of 65 years, Lola, and hospice care attended to him right up until his death in his sleep. Dean was born March 9, 1935 and attended all 12 years of formal schooling in Wilder where he excelled in all sports. He graduated in 1953. Dean was blessed with seven brothers, five older and two younger. His mother tragically died when Dean was 12. His father remarried a lady who came into the marriage with three girls and a boy and became the new mother of the family.
Upon high school graduation and a short stint working and attending Boise Junior College, Dean, along with his life-long best friend Jim Patterson, ultimately joined the United States Airforce. While stationed as an MP at the air force base in Miles City, Montana, Dean met and married the love of his life a wonderful strong lady, Lola Leach. It was here that his first child, a daughter Brenda, was born. Finishing his air force commitment, Dean and Lola came back to Idaho and Dean enrolled at the College of Idaho. It was here that Lola gave him his next love, a son, Greg. Finishing a degree in education, Dean began his teaching career in Caldwell. After two years Dean accepted a job teaching and coaching football, basketball, and baseball at Kootenai high school in Harrison, Idaho where they made life-long friends, something Dean and Lola did wherever they went. After two years he became the superintendent of schools launching his long education administration tenure. From Kootenai Dean migrated to Washington where he took the job of superintendent of schools in Darrington, Washington again making life-long friends. After six years he accepted the assistant superintendent of finance in the Marysville, Washington school district. Dean had a wonderful 25 year tenure in Marysville serving the last three years as superintendent and retiring in 1993.
Dean enjoyed everything sports whether hunting, fishing, football, basketball or baseball. He followed closely and with pride his children's and grandkids events regardless of their success. He always wanted to hear about their hunting, fishing, and sports stories and he had many many of his own. A good friend got in the habit of holding up the number of fingers to illustrate the number of times Dean told the same story. Dean craved family and loved to pursue knowledge of the Farley family history. He was the one left that could share with great accuracy the Farley family endeavors from 1898, the year Farley's homesteaded in the Wilder area, to the present.
Dean and Lola enjoyed traveling and did the motor home thing, RV thing, snow birding thing, and general site seeing thing. During this time Dean started his own tree stump removal and real estate business. But, he longed for children, teachers and schools and moved back to Idaho to become the superintendent of schools in the Mackay, Idaho school district. Here they spent three years and again made life-long friends. In 2003 it was really time to retire. They moved to East Wenatchee, Washington where they were closer to their grandson Craig and granddaughters Suzie (children Ayame, Renn, and Pine, and Husband Lynn Lyons) and Julia (child Violet and husband Mike McIntyre). It was also here, by coincidence, Dean was reunited with his life-long best friend Jim Patterson and his wife Claudia. Countless games on pinochle and casino visits ensued. After ten years in E. Wenatchee their son Greg wanted his Dad and Mom to move back to Marysville where he could better care for them. This was Dean's final stop.
Dean was preceded in death by his parents Faris and Lydia and six brothers; Gene, Douglas, Calvin, Jim, John, Chuck, daughter Brenda, stepmother Florence, and stepbrother Neil. He is survived by his wife Lola in Marysville, Washington, son Greg and Greg's children Cody (wife Kelly and children Olivia and Lincoln), Brian, and Tyson (wife Katricia and children Ki and Kaden), son Danny Dixon, and Brenda's children Craig, Julia (husband Mike McIntyre and child Violet), and Suzie (husband Lynn Lyon and children Ren and Pine). He is also survived by his brother Tom, stepsisters Rosella Murphy, Jewell Burcham, and Joyce Richards, and numerous nieces and nephews. Dean valued education and school activities and the benefits they bestow to all who take advantage of the opportunities. He believed education to be the great human equalizer and spent his professional life promoting that belief.
Cremation has taken place and Dean will be interred next to his daughter Brenda at the Veterans cemetery in Tacoma, Washington. He asks that any donations to please be made to the hospice care program of your choice.