Katherine Farrar Obituary

June 18, 1917-March 16, 2006. Katherine (Tinny) Thatcher Farrar died, at her home in Goodland, FL on March 16, 2006 at 88 years old. Tinny was the daughter of the late Malhon D. and Katherine L. Thatcher of Pueblo, CO and the wife of the late Frederick M. Farrar of Colorado Springs, CO. She grew up in Pueblo, lived in Denver after she was married, then moved to a ranch in Black Forest. To escape the cold of Colorado, Tinny spent more and more of the winters in southwest Florida. She is survived by her four children, Kit Spahn and Janet Timmerman of Colorado Springs, Logan Farrar of Bellingham, WA and Elizabeth Farrar of Santa Rosa, CA - and four grandchildren - Katherine Langner of Scottsdale, AZ, Tiffany Spahn of Portland, OR and Ian and Mattie Farrar of Bellingham, WA. Tinny, the perennial tomboy, was a great lover of the outdoors which suited her to life on a ranch. Her love of nature and animals was translated into a large menagerie of pets, the ability to identify the majority of wildflowers, plants and wild birds in the regions where she lived and traveled and in her efforts to supply the wildlife surrounding her home with food and shelter. She was a supporter of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and many other animal related charities. The winters spent in Florida led her to develop a great interest in the welfare of marine mammals and after a trip to swim with the dolphins, an ongoing involvement with the dolphin Research Center in Grassey Key, FL. Tinny loved to travel whether it was on two legs, four legs, wheels, in the air, on the water or through the pages of a book. She traveled extensively in the Southwest, Florida and the Bahamas, cruised the inside passage of Alaska, explored the Galapagos, traveled by barge in France and on the Mississippi, and white water rafted in her 70's, living an active life until respiratory disease limited her activity. Even when she was no longer able to exercise, her fingers and mind remained active as she spent countless hours creating needlepoint pieces while listening to books on tape. Tinny and her husband Fred traveled the western U.S., bounding over many rough and precarious mountain and desert roads, to acquire the initial collection of artifacts that resulted in their founding of the Western Museum of Mining and Industry. Tinny was very generous to her fellow men, helping those in need quietly without calling attention to her actions. Those who were privileged to call her a friend are left richer for having been a part of her life. Plans for a memorial service will not be made until her family returns from Florida. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Western Museum of Mining and Industry (1025 Northgate Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80921) your local humane society or the charity of your choice.