Visitation:
Friday September 8th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Holy
Family Church in Lincoln
Rosary: 3:30 p.m.
Friday at the church
Service:
7:15 p.m. Friday at the church
Celebration of Life:
Saturday, September 9 from Noon to 3 p.m. at the
Lincoln American Legion Post 263.
Funeral home:
Peasley Funeral Home, Lincoln
Obituary
On Sunday September 3, 2023, at 4:40
am, Robert “Bob” Duane Farmer, 85, passed away with
his wife of 63 years by his side. He was a wonderful
man, and we thank the Lord for his life and the many
wonderful memories.
Bob, a lifelong resident of Logan County – whose
surname reflects his occupation, was a fourth
generation Farmer in Logan County and the last of
that generation that remained in the county. Bob’s
great grandfather, Absolam “A.B.” Farmer traveled
from Waverly, Ohio to Illinois via riverboat around
1880 with a mule. After disembarking the riverboat
in Cairo, Illinois, A.B. walked to Logan County and
subsequently traded the mule for 40 acres of land
(quite the bargain by today’s standards). Funny part
of the story was that the mule died 6 months later.
Robert was born to Russell Farmer (1915-1967) and
Helen Louise Grubb (1917-1998) on June 28, 1938 at
Deaconess Hospital in Lincoln. He was raised by his
father and stepmother, Juanita Paulsen Farmer. He
attended Rabbit Flat School (a one room schoolhouse
on 5th Street – 15 students, 7 of which were his
siblings or cousins), and graduated from Lincoln
High School in 1956. After high school, he served as
a Private First Class in the Army Reserves and
worked odd jobs before making farming his full-time
job in 1964. He never retired.
Bob married the love of his life, Diane Caplinger,
on July 8, 1960. They had four children – Jeffrey
(Erin) Farmer of Middletown, Jennifer (Jeffrey)
Jordan of Boulder City, NV, Jodi (Jerry) Williams of
Litchfield, and Joseph (Deb) Farmer of Fort Wayne,
IN. He has 11 surviving grandchildren – Mitchell
(Brittney) Billy of Dallas, GA, Amanda Billy of
Orange, CA, Kyle (Esther) Farmer of Elkhart, Drew
(Megan) Jordan of Biloxi, MS, Chase Farmer of
Middletown, Madison Williams (Scott Lunte) of
Jefferson City, MO, Nicole Jordan (Russ) Baade of
Newbury Park, CA, DR. Samantha Farmer (Kalieb)
Koelmel of Indianapolis, IN, Meagan Williams of New
York City, NY, Derek Farmer of Fort Wayne, IN and
Ryan Farmer of Middletown, and, four great
grandchildren – Bristol Billy of Dallas, GA, Henry
Farmer of Elkhart, William Koelmel of Indianapolis,
IN, and Arthur Baade of Newbury Park, CA. |
Bob is also survived by his
half-sister, Darla and her husband Al Cheatham of
North Carolina and two sister-in-laws, Jean (Ingram)
Farmer of Lincoln and Mary (Layton) Farmer of
Bloomington, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Bob was an avid hunter, a NASCAR and
Lincoln Railers basketball fan and enjoyed playing
Euchre. Later in life, he especially enjoyed
watching his great grandson “Hotrod” Henry Farmer
race quarter midgets. He was a member of the Elks
Lodge, the American Legion, the Logan County Farm
Bureau and the NRA. In 2000, at the age of 62, Bob
decided to go into politics. He was elected to the
Logan County Board where he served for 20 years on
many committees, and as Board Chairman for six
years.
Anyone close to Bob knows he knew how to have a good
time and that he loved the precious time he spent
with his children, grand and great-grandchildren. He
was beloved, not only by his family and friends, but
by the Logan County community where he was well
respected for his hard work, decision making, and
fairness; not to mention the fact that he could tell
a good story.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents Russell and
Helen, stepmother Juanita, his two brothers Russell
and Roland, half-brother Larry, stepbrother Kenneth
Paulsen, stepsister Patricia Paulsen Ritchhart
Buckles, sister-in-law Carol Trail Farmer,
sister-in-law Mary Wibben Paulsen, brother-in-law
Clarence Ritchhart, bother-in-law Frank Buckles and
grandson Brock Farmer.
Visitation will be Friday September 8th at Holy
Family Church in Lincoln from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Funeral service will immediately follow at 7:15 p.m.
A Rosary Service will be held at 3:30 p.m. Friday
prior to the Visitation.
Bob’s family is hosting a Celebration of His Life on
Saturday September 9th at the American Legion in
Lincoln from Noon to 3 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to
American Legion of Lincon Post 263 or American
Legion of Middletown Post 0672.
Peasley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Click here to send a note of condolence to the
family of Robert “Bob” Duane Farmer
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