Roy Johnny Farr, Jr.

Roy Johnny Farr, Jr. of Austin was born May 17, 1948 in Atlanta, Georgia to Roy Johnny Farr and Hilda Marie Farr (Taft). His Mama would forever be the greatest love of his life. He was the second of four children. After his parents divorced and his mother remarried, his family found their way to Temple, Texas in 1958. Roy remained forever proud of his hometown often introducing himself to a stranger with the greeting "Roy Farr. Temple, Texas." Ultimately he attended Temple High School when his busy schedule of mastering the game of pool at "The Pastime Pool Hall" and chasing pretty girls allowed him to do so. During his 20th year on this planet he married his first wife, Stephanie Sprout. They would have two sons together, James Michael and Bradley John both of whom would be his pride and joy from the day of their respective births to the day of his passing, June 8, 2012. In 1983 Roy met and married Deborah Ann Ochoa... his precious and adored "Debbie Lou"... to whom he would remain married for the rest of his life.

With the possible exception of hustling a little pool in his younger years, Roy's one chosen field was the grocery business. Possessed of an ambition and sense of self-determination without peer, Roy immersed himself in the grocery business. From a humble beginning as a grocery sacker to later working as meat-cutter, meat market manager and meat merchandiser (what he always referred to as his favorite job), Roy blazed through the first half of his career learning everything there was to learn while working as hard as was humanly possible for large grocery stores including Kroger's and Safeway. In 1987 Roy decided it was time for a new set of challenges and entered into the convenience store business. It was here that he had truly found his calling. After a meteoric rise through the ranks of a major corporation, Roy took the fruits of his labor working for someone else and decided it was time he invested in himself. Roy Farr the employee became Roy Farr the owner. He bought a stake in an existing convenience store and parlayed that initial investment into what he would forever consider to be his greatest achievement, the construction and the operation of Paleface Grocery in Spicewood, Texas. Roy always believed he could outwork the folks he couldn't out-think and out-think the folks he couldn't outwork. His immensely successful career in the grocery business was a lifelong testament to the veracity of this belief and his self-confidence.

In 1982 Roy became a member of the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. More than any passion he had ever had before or after, his recovery through AA was the single most important thing in the world to him. Roy was a dogged and devoted warrior for the cause of recovery helping countless thousands find their way to the greatest gift any alcoholic can receive... the gift of sobriety. Roy correctly regarded AA as having saved his life and he spent the last 30 years of that life making sure he gave AA everything he had in him to give back to the fellowship he was so happy and proud to be a part of.

Roy Farr was a passionate lover of life. From Elvis Presley to the Dallas Cowboys, from Muhammad Ali to the University of Texas Longhorns... when Roy loved something he loved it heart and soul without apology. Roy Farr was a mesmerizing story teller, a mischievous prankster and a quick-witted class clown. He will be missed dearly by family and friends. His absence leaves many hearts broken, many tears cried and many lives one or two smiles short of the full complement of joy we were lucky enough to feel while he was with us.

Roy is preceded in death by his parents and his brother Mike. He is survived by his wife Debbie, his sisters Diane and Theresa Sharon (whom he loved very much), his sons Mike and Brad and his grandchildren Bradley, Tayler, Dylan and Samantha.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 4:00 P.M., Wednesday, June 13, 2012 in the Chapel of Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Funeral Home. The continuation of sharing and fellowship of Roy's life will follow immediately at Nutty Brown Cafe located at 12225 Hwy. 290 West just 10 minutes west of the Funeral Home. A Memorial Service will be held in his honor at 2:00 P.M., Saturday, June 16, 2012 at the Northland Group located at 2809 Northland Drive in Austin, Texas, 78757.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be made to Suburban Alcoholic Foundation (512-452-6784).