Edith U. Farmer

FARMER, Edith U., 94, of Richmond, formerly of Albuquerque, N.M. and Nashville, Tenn., gained her angel's wings on May 2, 2022. She died after years of declining health and a brief hospitalization with her son by her side.

Edith was born on April 1, 1928 in Cordova, N.C., to Robert Roy and Maggie McRae Ussery. She was the fifth of 10 children. Edith was graduated from Rockingham High School in 1946, and following graduation, worked for Bell South in Charlotte, N.C. as a compiler of the telephone directory.

She met the love of her life, Don L. Farmer Jr. at Lake Junaluska, N.C., at a retreat organized by First Methodist Church of Charlotte. She and Don got engaged and were married in August, 1955. She and Don lived in Charlotte, Greensville, S.C. and Atlanta, Ga., where their sons, Kevin and Richard were born. They then lived in Columbia, S.C., where their daughter, Rebecca was born. From Columbia, they moved to Nashville, Tenn. In 1987, Don took an early retirement and they moved to Albuquerque, N.M., where they lived for 30 years before moving to Richmond in 2017 to be closer to family.

Edith loved singing and sang in the choir of every church where she was a member. She had the proud distinction of having performed with a choir on stage at both the Vienna State Opera House (minus audience) and Carnegie Hall in New York City. She also loved birdwatching, collecting angel figurines and anything associated with hot air balloons. She and Don also loved to travel and visited numerous states, as well as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Scotland and England. She was extremely proud of her Scottish heritage and took every opportunity to celebrate and commemorate that heritage.

Edith was a two-time cancer survivor and was active with Don in a classic car club in Albuquerque. Together they produced the award-winning monthly newsletter for the club for many years.

Edith was a devoted wife, nurturing mother to her three children and doting grandmother to her four grandchildren. After she and Don had moved to New Mexico and realized how far away they were from the grands, they hatched an ambitious plan: during the summer of each grandchild's 10th birthday, they would take that grandchild by themselves on a cross-county trip to Albuquerque while spending some one-on-one quality time with that grandchild on a grand voyage of discovery for both grandparents and the grandchild.

Edith is survived by her husband, Don; son, Richard (Susan) Farmer of Richmond; daughter, Rebecca (Wendell Keith) Farmer of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; grandchildren, Maggie (Joshua Webster) Farmer, Sarah (Christopher) Lane, Daniel Farmer and Emma Farmer; and great-grandsons, Asher and Calvin Lane; and several nieces and nephews. Edith was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Maggie; siblings, Grady Ussery, Harry Ussery, Clyde Ussery, Belle Ussery Lynch, Ira Ussery, Sara Ussery Childers, Roger Ussery, Darrell Ussery and Keith Ussery; and her son, 1LT (USA) Kevin Farmer.

Funeral arrangements are being provided by Bliley's - Central, 3801 Augusta Avenue, Richmond, Va. A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10, Reveille United Methodist Church, Richmond, Va.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the church of your choice or to the American Cancer Society in her memory.