Obituary of John E. Farr, Jr.

John E. Farr, Jr., better known as Jack Farr, passed peacefully from natural causes in Aptos, CA on May 8, 2023. He was born January 3, 1929 in Tacoma, WA. In his 94 years, Jack lived a full and well-traveled life with his primary passions being his business, tennis and charity work. He spent most of his childhood in Pomona, CA. He loved the beach and worked the orange groves as a teen. He attended UC Berkeley, graduating in the class of 1950. He met his wife Iris Horton Farr at Cal where they were both in the Greek system. He was a Theta Delta Chi and she was an Alpha Delta Pi. Their sorority sisters and fraternity brothers became lifelong friends. They were married for 65 years before Iris passed away eight years ago. Once out of college, they began raising a family and working. Jack worked in furniture sales at first, then at Schenley Industries, a liquor company where his father was an executive. He excelled in sales and soon Jack was hired away by a swimwear and women’s foundations company as the National Sales Manager for Peter Pan, based in Manhattan. Jack and Iris moved with their children to New Jersey so Jack could work in NYC. After three years there, the couple decided to open their own company and moved back to their home in the Greenmeadow neighborhood of Palo Alto, CA. In 1968, they opened Farr-West Fashions, a luxury lingerie company. Farr-West became one of the finest lingerie companies in the United States, carried by major department stores and specialty boutiques across the country. Jack was very proud of the business they ran for 45 years, both for the quality of the product they made as well as for the many jobs they provided to people they considered family. Jack was a charming man who befriended people throughout his life and was considered a mentor by many. When Jack retired, he regularly played tennis at his local tennis club where he was a long-time member. He also got involved in charity work - initially with the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association after his own father passed from the disease. Jack started the first Memory Walk for Alzheimer’s in the county, an event which still occurs today, more than 25 years later. He became a local board member and later served on the National Board for Alzheimer’s. He also helped raise money for local public libraries, creating a clever ad campaign funded by local businesses highlighting what public libraries meant to local citizens, business owners and local officials. Outside of tennis and fundraising, Jack and Iris traveled extensively. Jack was a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle and brother. He is survived by four of five children, Lindsey (husband Tom Bonura), Jenny, John (wife Anne McCormack Farr), Brooke, eight grandchildren, eight great grandchildren and his sister, Nancy Farr Baker (husband Bryson Baker). Jack is predeceased by his wife Iris (d. 2015), son Chuck Farr (d. 2022) and his sister Wynn Grimes. There will be no public memorial service. Remembrances can be made to Alzheimer’s Association of Santa Cruz.