Florence Messick Farthing

1929 - 2023

Florence Messick Farthing passed away at Magnolia Place in Roswell Georgia on January 28th, 2023 at the age of 93.

She was born on July 21st, 1929 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to Lola and Sel Messick. She graduated from Gray High School and Salem College and finished her undergraduate degree at Pfeiffer College as an English major.

After graduation she was a lifelong educator and taught elementary grades primarily. She met Rhea Farthing at Old Town Elementary School in Winston-Salem, and they married in 1953. They were married for almost 62 years. They moved to Dade County Florida and taught there until they retired in 1984.

They had two daughters, Beth Farthing Rogers and Beckie Farthing Parker. They enjoyed their summers in Boone and built a house there in 1966. She and Rhea took a sabbatical year and she got her Masters in Reading in 1968-1969 at Appalachian State University.

She and Rhea moved to Roswell Georgia in late 2014. She maintained an active lifestyle at Brookdale-Chambrell in Roswell until late 2020 when she moved to be near Beth at Sunset Beach, NC. In late 2021, she moved back to Roswell to be near Beckie.

She would light up when her grandchildren and great grandchildren were around. She is survived by her daughter Beth (Michael) Rogers, their children Jennifer (Michael) Philbeck of Cherryville, NC, Meredith Edmister of Trent Woods, NC, Laura Massey (Adam) of Lutz, FL and Dillon (Kayla) Rogers of Midland, NC. And by her daughter Beckie (Danny) Parker, their children Joel (Ifat) Parker of Tel Aviv Israel, Sharon (Andrew) Nackashi of Tifton, GA, Brian (Jennifer) Parker of Woodbridge, VA, Neal (Deborah) Parker of Marietta, GA and David Parker of Athens, GA. There are 23 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents Sel and Lola Messick, her sisters Lillian Essic and Norma Messick and her brother Lester and his wife Barbara Messick, and her husband Rhea Farthing.