William Farley Obituary

It is with great sadness that the family of William "Bill" Farley announce his passing on June 7, 2025, at the age of 86. William will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 35 years Barbara Jean Farley, his step children; Vic, Judy, and Linda, grandchildren and their spouses; Aaron, Mia, and Justin, Cierra, Josh, Danielle, great grandchildren; River, Ocean, Aiden, Jayden, Luke, and Ava, cousins, as well as numerous friends. William was born on August 4, 1938 in Alabama. He grew up in Detroit, where he was involved in music and sports; playing trumpet in the school band and competing on the high school basketball team. His basketball talent earned him a scholarship to play collegiate basketball in California. After attending college for 2 years, he took a leave of absence and was subsequently drafted into the Vietnam war. He became a paratrooper for the 82nd Airborne Division, a highly trained and disciplined unit. As an adult, he saved his father, mother, and brother from a fire of their family home and was a local hero. He was a lifelong basketball fan and the Lakers were his favorite team. Known for his sense of style and signature hat. He enjoyed the small things; going to the movies, playing pool and chess, having a cup of coffee, and spending time with family. We will be attending church service on Sunday, June 29, 2025 at 10:45am at Grant AME 1129 Alamitos Ave, Long Beach, CA 90813 A funeral service will be held on Monday June 30, 2025 1:00pm at the Veteran Cemetery 22495 Van Buren Blvd. Riverside, CA 92518 I'd like to end with a poem he would share: "When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit."