Joseph Farish Jr.

Family-Placed Obituary

JOSEPH FARISH, Jr. Joseph Farish, Jr., 89, an attorney and former Palm Beach County judge who leveraged his success in the courtroom into dozens of business interests and a vast fortune, died unexpectedly September 13 while recovering from surgery for a hiatal hernia. A well-established Palm Beach County lawyer known for working long days on legal and business matters - even until just before his death. Mr. Farish and his wife, Loreen, had lived in a spacious home on Jupiter Island since 2003. He decided to build the house on a parcel of oceanfront property he had owned for 35 years. "He was the most dynamic, interesting, sweet and tenacious man I have ever met," said his wife. "I am forever grateful for our time together." Over the years, Mr. Farish's investments in real estate, radio stations and car dealerships made him a multi-millionaire. He was one of Indiantown's biggest landowners and personally supervised his transitioning of orange groves into cattle land. At the age of 88, while still working on other business matters, Mr. Farish launched a new endeavor. He opened a funeral home at State Road 7 and Hypoluxo Road, west of Lake Worth and at the southern edge of the South Florida Veterans Cemetery. The veteran of World War II's Normandy invasion transformed his feelings about "them boys over there" into a business venture with the funeral home that serves all, but caters particularly to veterans. Issues regarding "old soldiers" were a major concern to Mr. Farish, who counted himself as a proud member of the VFW and Sons of the American Revolution. A D-Day survivor, he served with the Big Red One First Infantry Division and also fought in the North African, Sicilian and European campaigns, earning five battle stars. Following World War II, Mr. Farish operated a successful Lincoln-Mercury dealership, and, as a reward for outstanding performance, the Ford Motor Company sent him to Normandy in 2004 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landing. At the Omaha Beach Cemetery, he was asked to give the invocation and to place a wreath. This touching ceremony moved him to fulfill a dream of helping all families in their time of loss. He said he felt opening a funeral home was "an important way to give back and serve families in this area and to honor Palm Beach County veterans." A native of Columbus, GA, Mr. Farish received his degree from the University of Florida Law School. During the 1970s and 1980s, he gained fame for handling a number of society divorce cases. A strong supporter of charities, he sat on the board of the Maltz Jupiter Theater - the former Burt Reynolds Theater venue. He has held fund-raisers for the theater and also contributed $250,000 to the Palm Beach Historical Society to dedicate a gift shop. The military buff has also given to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. He was also a longtime supporter of the March of Dimes, having lost his only son, Joseph, to polio in 1953. He will be deeply missed by his loving family, many friends, and grateful employees and associates. Besides his wife, Loreen (Beisswenger) Farish, he is survived by a daughter, Anne Hall, and her husband, Larry, of Plano, TX, and a grandson, Chad, a student at Southern Methodist University. He is also survived by Maya, his beloved cat; peacocks and 12 miniature Sicilian donkeys. A funeral service will be held Monday at 1:00 PM at Village Baptist Church, 3600 Village Blvd., West Palm Beach. Burial will be in Hillcrest Cemetery, 5411 Parker Avenue, West Palm Beach. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to The Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 East Indiantown Road, Jupiter, FL 33477. Arrangements are under the direction of The Palm Beach National Chapel, Lake Worth, FL. To express condolences and/or make donations Visit PalmBeachPost.com/obituaries Web #5551295