Shirley Mitchell Farmer

Shirley Farmer, née Mitchell, of Hudson, MA, died on Sunday November 26, 2023, at the age of 99.

Shirley lived life to the fullest. She loved entertaining friends and family and was especially committed to serving the community wherever she lived. She enjoyed music, traveling, tennis, games, politics, and reading.

Shirley was born on December 4, 1923, in Melrose, MA, the firstborn child of Charles Archie and Ethel Nutter Mitchell. When Shirley was 2, the family moved to Kodaikanal, India, where her father was the headmaster of the Kodaikanal International School. In 1927, the family moved to Tokyo where her father became the headmaster of the American School of Japan. The family, now with 5 children, moved back to Maine in 1933, and several more moves followed. Shirley graduated from Winchendon High School (MA) in 1939 and went to Radcliffe at the age of 16, graduating in 1943 with a degree in psychology. During WWII she worked as a Research Assistant at the Psycho-Acoustic Laboratory at Harvard University. She completed the Harvard-Radcliffe Management Training Program in 1946 and went on to work for the United Electrical Workers union and John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co.

In 1950 she married Dr. Sidney Kligerman and had three children: Martha, Barbara, and Miriam. In Bloomfield, CT, Shirley continued to be very engaged in the community, serving as the President of the PTA, President of the League of Women Voters, and Secretary of the School Board. Shirley also earned her Masters of Education at the University of Hartford in Guidance Counseling. Following her divorce, Shirley taught math for a year and then worked as a guidance counselor in Windsor Locks, CT.

In 1973, Shirley met Robert ("Bob") Farmer while visiting her brother, and within a year they were married and Shirley relocated to California. Shirley lived a very fulfilling life with Bob: traveling, hiking, skiing, camping, sailing, playing tennis and bridge, and entertaining. Throughout this time, Shirley continued serving her communities, receiving the Volunteer of the Year award from the Mental Health Association of Los Angeles in 1976. She later obtained a counseling license and worked at the Interface Community Counseling Center. In 1982, Shirley co-founded New Beginnings Counseling in Camarillo, CA, which provided counseling and mental health services to the Ventura County community. Shirley considered this the most rewarding ten years of her life. She continued this work following Bob's death in 1984. In 1995, she moved back to Massachusetts to be closer to her extended family. She regularly traveled with friends and family and remained very active, especially with her volunteer work at the First Parish Church of Stow & Acton, where she served on the Board of Trustees. She also volunteered at various correctional facilities and was active with the local elementary school council and the food pantry.

Shirley was predeceased by her husband Robert Farmer and her brothers Charles Archie Mitchell, Donald Adelbert Mitchell, and John Albert Mitchell. Shirley is survived by her sister Mary Jane Miranda of Plattsburgh, NY; daughters Martha Wyant of Peaks Island, ME, Barbara Olson of Mechanicsburg, PA, and Miriam Kligerman of Hudson, MA; grandchildren Charissa Olson Caldera, Cheryl Reider, Rachael Wyant, and Abigail Wyant; and many great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

A memorial service and potluck for Shirley will be held at 1PM on Saturday, December 16, 2023, at First Parish Church of Stow & Acton, 353 Great Road, Stow, MA, 01775.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in her honor to the First Parish Church of Stow & Acton.

https://fpc-stow-acton.org/donate