Thomas Farmer

Thomas Shelby Farmer, 91, died Tuesday, November 1, 2022, on All Saints Day. Thomas was a native of New Orleans, a traveler of the world, a devoted husband and a loving father. He was born September 2, 1931 in New Orleans, and spent his early years in the French Quarter and historic Lakeview. Later he lived in Baytown, TX, Chicago, IL, Brussels, Belgium, and Westfield, New Jersey before returning to New Orleans in 1984 where he spent most of the last 38 years. Mr. Farmer's lifelong love of the water began at the Southern Yacht Club where he learned to sail and would later become a member. He continued this as an accomplished boat racer and member at the Chicago Yacht Club. As an athlete he competed in numerous regattas, marathons, and triathlons. As a son and a father, he shared this love of being near the water in many cherished family vacations to the Murmuring Surf in Destin, FL. He loved reading, poetry, and hands-on home projects. Some of his favorite writings were Peer Gynt, Remembrance of Things Past, The Sea of Fertility, and The Wasteland. He also enjoyed sharing The Wizard of Oz, Borges short stories, and Zen koans with his children. He had a beautiful singing voice and loved the music of John Denver, Willie Nelson, and the Beatles. His jokes were corny, often in another language, and the best in the Dad joke tradition. He was an active volunteer at Tulane University, serving as Chairman of the President's Council, President of Tau Beta Pi, and a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He was involved in numerous carnival organizations and in the American Society of Chemical Engineers. He was a past member of the Metairie Country Club. He retired in 2014 from the URS Corporation after a career of over 60 years in chemical engineering. Previously, he had served as Vice-President of Hanlin Chemicals (1987), President of Hooker Chemicals International Inc. (1978) and President of Borg-Warner Chemicals and Plastics (1971) as well as Vice-President Europe (1967) and Head of Research U.S. (1965) at Esso Chemical. He also served on the Board of Winnebago and on board directorships in Japan. He illustrated the glories and foibles of this long career in thrown-down parables that told how the concrete and tangible mattered over the fictitious or wished-for. No matter where he was, he was an engineer. He served in the U.S. Army Intelligence from 1953 to 1955 during the Korean War and has always held military service in special regard stemming from his close relationship with his father who served in the First World War. He earned his Masters of Business Administration at Cornell University (1966), his Masters in Chemical Engineering at Princeton University (1953), and his Bachelors from Tulane University (1952). Previously he completed his education at Georgia Military Academy and Country Day. He was a lifelong learner with a beginner's mind and self-taught in computer hardware and programming in his 60s and 70s. Mr. Farmer is survived by his beloved wife of 38 years, Ann de Montluzin Farmer and his loving children, Jeanne Phelps (Dave), Jack Farmer, Thomas Farmer, Buck Farmer-Gregory (Conway), Shelby Mansuri (Arif), his two step-grandchildren and a step-great-grandchild. He is preceded in death by his parents John W. Farmer and Elizabeth Louise Buck, his step-mother Carmen Farmer, his sister Rosemary Corry, and his former wife Ann Wood Farmer. The family will receive friends and family on Friday, November 11th, from noon to 1:30 P.M. at Jacob Schoen & Son Funeral Home, 3827 Canal St, New Orleans, 70119. A service will be celebrated at 1:30 P.M. in the J. Garic Schoen Chapel with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be directed to the Tulane Honors and Remembers Fund. Visit https://giving.tulane.edu/memory, or mail checks to Tulane University, PO Box 61075, New Orleans, LA 70161. Please indicate that the gift is in memory of Thomas Shelby Farmer by writing a memo on your check or by completing that section of the online giving form. Alternatively, memorial gifts are also welcomed to be directed to Community Sailing New Orleans (https://nolacommunitysailing.org/donate/ or by mail to 101 N Roadway St New Orleans, LA 70124) in memory of Thomas Shelby Farmer and his love of sailing.