1974-2010
Richard L. Farmer passed away November 5, 2010 at the IMC hospital in Murray, Utah. Rick was born September 5, 1974 in Los Angeles, California to Richard J. and Judy Lee Farmer. Rick attended the University of Utah where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. Rick then went on to obtain a Master’s Degree in Clinical Research Management at George Washington University. Rick married Susan J. Farmer on August 10, 1995. They went on to have four beautiful boys. Rick was tragically taken from this world much too soon. At the age of 36, Rick had lived much more life than many. He was giving, funny and had a way of making anyone feel comfortable. Rick’s smile and laughter were infectious. One couldn’t help but feel intense happiness as they watched Rick doing tricks on his wakeboard – this was his favorite thing to do especially with family and friends surrounding him. Rick was an incredible father, husband, son, brother, friend, employee. He was a hard worker at any job assigned: whether personal or professional. Rick will be missed by many and was an inspiration to all who knew him. Rick is survived by his wife, Susan and their four boys: Brandon (14), Gregory (13), Kyle (10), Casey (5), and Bella his beloved Lab. He is also survived by his parents Richard and Judy Farmer, his sister Stacey (Geren), Grandma Lorraine Johnson, and Grandma Erma Farmer. Others who will miss Rick tremendously are Jim and Carol Jensen, Stuart (Kerri Sue), Lisa, Katie (Ryan) and countless nephews, nieces, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends. Rick is preceded in death by his son Noah Lee Farmer, and two grandfathers: Boyd Johnson and Vern Farmer. A Sunday evening viewing will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Wasatch Lawn (3401 Highland Drive). Monday’s funeral will be at 12:00 noon preceded by a viewing from 10:30–11:30 a.m. at South Mountain Community Church (12411 S 265 W, Draper). Condolences and memories may be sent to the family at wasatchlawn.com. My friends, the heavens just changed forever. It will be funnier and they need to be aware of practical jokes constantly. I hope they were ready!
Tributes
To Rick from Susan
My love, how I have avoided writing this letter. I still don't want this to be true. A couple of months ago you wrote me a letter saying, "If this were to be the last letter I ever wrote to you....." And you asked for me to write one back. I never did and I am so, so sorry that you didn't get to read this before you passed. I didn't know what to say then, and I am still at a loss to put into words what you have meant to me, but here goes......
Dear Rick, I love you more than words can express. I know you know this because we have a bond that is unbreakable. My heart aches and tears are streaming off of my face as I write because I have lost my love, my everything.
Remember when we had that talk and I asked you if I was your everything? It was just a few weeks ago. I told you then and I am telling you again YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING. I don't know how I can go on without you. I don't know how I am going to raise these four amazing boys without you. You are such an incredible father.
The bright side is that as I watch Brandon, Gregory, Kyle, and Casey - I see you. I see you in their mannerisms, personalities, good looks, and I get to continue to watch them as they grow into men and see you more. I am so thankful for that.
In the last seventeen years you have taught me so much. I am more patient, I show my love more readily to people, I say love you ALL THE TIME!! We have been through many unpleasant life experiences together: Noah, Kyle, you know all that I'm talking about. Through these I became a stronger woman because of you. I knew I could get through these because I had you by my side. What am I going to do this time? You better be helping me, you better stay close and somehow send me some intuition in situations. I know you can because of all the times we were both thinking the exact same thing at the exact same moment. Our minds, our souls are connected forever. Please keep your spirit with me. I beg you - I don't know if I can do it otherwise. How is a MOM supposed to raise four athletic very much boy, boys? I need you if you are here with me physically or not.
I know we were having a rough spell, but we were making it. That is part of what is so tragic about this for me. WE WERE MAKING IT......and then bam, your gone. I will always hold close to my heart some of the recent talks we've had........where I held you in my arms as you bawled like a baby, another when we laid on our bed for hours and you talked and talked and talked about all of these issues in your life at the moment, regrets, questions. You cried then too and I knew I was feeling the depths of your soul, your heart. We made it to a deeper level of love and understanding that night. I will never forget it.
I will forever cherish our last weekend together. The date you took me on, Saturday morning and how special and out of this world it was. I spoke to you then about how I had never experienced that before. The closeness it brought. Going to the boys games together, Halloween, trick or treating, and Sunday how at peace you seemed to be becoming. Forever I will be grateful and praise the heavens for that weekend. Forever.
I want you to know that I sleep with the sweatshirt they cut off of you every night. I hold it tightly to my body and inhale the glorious smell of you as I think of all the times we've had together. I also want you to know that ALL of your sons have cuddled up with me in our bed since your passing at one time or another because they love and miss you so much. Please pass some peace onto them. Please let them feel you in their lives. Please send them your love so they can FEEL it strongly from above.
I am thankful for your last gift to me: It brings me peace that we have spoken about how you want your funeral. You have given me instructions, told me how you want me to live my life if I ever lost you. We have talked in depth about many, many things and I am so grateful for that. I hate that I have to be here although I do have that peace of knowing.
My last gift to you: We have shared so many secrets about our lives. Who do I share those with now? I knew you wanted to be an organ donor, but that you didn't want that known until the very end - until I knew they had done absolutely everything they could. When the time came the medical staff explained to me all the different ways they could do it. I never knew...... I so wanted to be there with you when you passed. I wanted to be there until the end. I wanted you to know I love, support you, was not going to leave you no matter how ugly it got. I wanted you to know I love you no matter. However, the best way to donate organs is in the O.R.. I so did NOT want that to be the way, but I also knew YOU would want it that way. That was my last gift to you while you were on this earth. I hope to give you many more as you watch us. I walked with you clear down to the O.R. where I had to say my goodbyes. (BTW, pretty much the whole staff at the hospital was bawling with me!) You were too young, you were too healthy. After I said my goodbyes they took me to a patient room where the boys were waiting. We all cried and cried. Then everyone left but me. I couldn't leave until I knew it was done. I did stay until the end. Hours later your nurse came straight to me to let me know you were gone. I curled up on the bed in fetal position and howled! And then, slowly, I pulled myself together, drove home and started to finish our goal without you: raising great children.
My husband was full of life, funny-so much so at times I swear I would almost pee my pants from laughing so hard, he was loyal and honest. Rick loved to travel along with me. We went all over the world some with our boys some without. Rick always made sure we had alone time. Rick was a good friend, the work "cheerleader", his smile and laughter was infectious. Rick loved to be around the water, his love of wakeboarding was intense. Rick would tuck my boys into bed every night and each night one of them would get the famous massage, back rub, or bicycle. Rick could make anyone feel comfortable, he was an incredible father, a practical jokester for sure - with every age. All of my boys friends LOVED Rick because when they were around he made them feel special and acted like one of them (At times really annoying us!) Rick and I went to a U of U game recently. I was a bit timid because we were sitting in the MUSS. No problem for Rick everyone loved us by the end, inviting us back whenever any had a spare ticket. Rick came away from that saying, "He owned the MUSS!" I found two tickets to the BYU vs. Utah game in his belongings. No doubt we were returning to the MUSS:) Rick loved boating and Lake Powell became his favorite place on earth. He said from now it was tradition to go with only our family once a year and many times with others all summer long. Rick had a beautiful sensitive side that I saw often. Rick made sure he took his two aging grandmothers fishing at fish lake on our boat every year. I would say, "Just rent one, it'll be so much cheaper." He would answer that he wanted to give them a part of him, have it be special, so he took our boat. Rick made "famous red gatorade" for our children's coaches often, when it got cold Rick would take hot chocolate for everyone on the sidelines, his work loved him for his hard, good work ethic, and also his fun personality. Rick could approach anyone at anytime, he also loved getting to know and understand the countries we were visiting at the time......"Shaka", "Pura Vida" Rick. May you R.I.P.
If I could say anything to Rick right now it would be I love you, I will miss you incredibly. I am still waiting to wake up from this nightmare. I can not believe you are really gone. You better stay right close and help me because I can not do this without you. I'm sorry I forgot what a wonderful person you were and stopped looking at all of your good qualities. We were on our way to making it, and I'm so glad through it all that we both knew how much the other loved us and we were working towards that. Bella is freaking out without you. Our boys are struggling. I will never be the same: For knowing you, for having you as my best friend for years, for marrying you, for having four beautiful children with you, for loving you as deeply as I do, and knowing with every conviction in my heart that you feel the same. You will be missed. I love you.
To My Dad from Brandon
One time me and my family went boating at Utah Lake with some other people I don't remember, but we were all on the Banana and we were going really fast and the people on the Banana were changing seats while going. And one time I couldn't get to the other seat. So I pushed the first person I saw. And it just happened to be my dad. It was so funny - at least to me. Once he hit the water he was gone because we were going so fast. And the great thing was he didn't care one bit because he had a great sense of humor.
My Dad was very, very, very funny. I'm pretty sure he could get anyone to laugh. He was always funny when everybody was pissed to. Ha Ha. So it made it even funnier.
If I could say anything to him right now it would probably be, "Don't think I didn't love you."
I love him and miss him.
To My Dad from Gregory
I remember the week we went to Lake Powell. My dad tried to convince me that wake boarding was way more fun than water skiing. I did not believe him one bit. But then he taught me to get up, and that's all I ever want to do now.
My dad was the absolute BEST! There is not one person WITH a sense of humor that he could not make laugh. Just like Brandon said, "He would make a joke when everybody was pissed off!" ha-ha!!
If I could tell him a couple of things right now they would be: I love you, I miss you a lot and I always will, and you better be practicing that double shot basketball because right as I get up there I'm gonna kick your butt at tug-of-war...AGAIN!!
To My Dad from Kyle
My Dad always loved the water. He taught me almost everything to do with the water. He taught me how to wake board, ski, slalom ski, and to get air on the wake board.
I don't know if this counts but he also tried to teach me how to snowboard but I kept on getting hurt, but you know Rick we just had to keep on trying. I think I might have sprained my ankle!
Here is a funny story about my dad. Me and my brother Gregory kept on calling him Rick, and he got so mad one time he sent me down to my room!!
My Dad was funny and awesome. He was really good at coming up with adventures. He loved to wakeboard.
If I could say anything to my Dad right now I would say I wish you were still alive and I love you so, so much. R.I.P.
Last but not least........
MY DAD WAS THE GREATEST, BEST DAD EVER!
To My Dad From Casey
I liked the Corn maze with my Dad. Dad was good at finding the #"s and things. He said jokes too. In the Haunted maze he carried me mostly. Sometimes he dropped me and I ran fast. The spider almost got Dad. That was funny. The funny parts were when Dad said funny stuff to a scary guy and the scary guy laughed. He wasn't supposed to laugh. Then guys were stuck trying to get out and my Dad said, "Help. Help them." and I said, "NO. RUN DAD JUST RUN!" And he ran.
One day I learned to do the monkey bars for the first time. Everybody came out of the house and they saw me do monkey bars that no one had seen me do. Dad watched me. Everybody cheered and cheered. Dad always cheered and clapped.
My Dad was funny, he tickled me, I planted peas with him and they were good to eat, he helped me get stuff out of the garden, and most of all he loved me and I loved him.
If I could tell Dad something in Heaven right now I would tell him that he made me chocolate milk and I loved it. I miss him very much.
To Rick from Stacey
When Rick and I were little we lived in New York. Rick was my best friend. He always included me in every thing he did. If he was fishing, I was fishing, if he was making snow forts, I was making snow forts. There was never a time where I wasn't attached to my brothers hip in New York, he was so much fun and he was everything I wanted to be. One time Rick was playing baseball and I was playing softball, the fields were back to back of each other. I remembered he was up to bat and he hit a home run and it landed in the field that I was playing in. At that very moment, I was also up to bat, I hit a softball and it was a home run....it too had landed in Ricks field. Later on Rick and his friend came up to me very excited that I had hit a home run. Everyone always called Rick by his last name Farmer (being little that just seemed so cool). Rick put his arm around me and said "From this day on you will be known as Little Farmer." To me, this was such a great thing because my brother was so proud of me. I will never forget that moment and I will always be proud of my big brother "FARMER".
To Rick from Mom
Rick has always had my heart, love and attention. We have been known as "Oh so you are Ricky's or Ricks parents since he was walking. He knew everyone for blocks around everywhere we lived at a early age. Later it seems that everyone seems to known him. He was competitive at a very early age also. He would play board games but just had to win. Rick learned to swim at 1 1/2 and at 5 was on a swim team winning many ribbons. He learned to roller skate from the US champion roller skater at age four and would show to everyone steps and moves like 'shoot the duck' on his skates.
Rick is an Eagle Scout. I had the privilege of being his den mother and working with him until he received his Eagle. From getting lost in the Uinta's for a few hours until his eagle project of cleaning up and painting of his baseball field after a tornado had gone through the field, there are many exciting stories. One was a movement in the bushes that turned out to be a squirrel with a pillowcase caught on his teeth and Rick had to get it off.
When we moved to New York, Rick became baseball oriented. He still has all his baseball card collection. He went to the Yankee Stadium with his dad on many occasions. He also went to a few Mets games. Rick's dad helped coach just like Rick helped his boys. Rick's last coach was Bruce Musgrave who had played with the Yankees. When we were going to move back to Utah, Bruce wrote Rick a letter saying that he was sure he was going to hear about Rick being a famous baseball player and that he could say that he was one of Rick's coaches when he was young.
We have enjoyed many vacations with Rick. His dad and I were able to go to Disney Land a few years ago with his family and what a joy it was for us. We went to the beach, Universal Studio and the Jay Leno Show during that time. We went to Fish Lake for the 4th of July and stayed in a cabin together for the past two years. He loved to take his Grandma Johnson fishing and would not come in until she caught one. Then to Richfield for the parade. Rick was always the head of all the planning of activities for young and old. Where ever Rick was, that was where the fun was for all of us.
Rick and Susan have the most wonderful, talented boys they have spent every living minute with and I hope that the love we have for Rick can be spent to helping Susan with them now. Like most parents, Rick was very concerned for his boys. Brandon, Gregory, Kyle Casey and Susan, we love you.
Rick, I will love you forever. Your Mom
Judy Lee Farmer
To Rick from Dad
This is Rick’s father. Rick was named after me and my grandfather. Rick was a very special person. Our relationship was such that he very well could have been my father. He taught me so much. We often debated such issues and politics and religion and I will always remember sitting there and Rick saying “Dad, you’re getting too excited”. Then we would settle back. I knew he was concerned for me.
Yesterday, I was talking to a member our extended family, and he told me a story of when he was having some personal issues with the family. He said he was visiting the family during this trying time and that Rick was the first person to come up and shake his hand and welcome him to the family. Rick was like that. I never once say him lose his temper. He was always calm and had that great smile. I keep wondering why it seems that our Father in Heaven seems to always take the best of us. I guess it is because He needs them in heaven. I am sure Rick now has all of his questions answered and that he is using the natural ability to talk to anyone and make them comfortable to affect many of Heavenly Father’s children where he is at now. I included a couple of stories in the family support page that tell a lot about his character. I am including these below:
• Another short baseball story. When Rick was 11, we were still in Chappaqua, New York. There was a man on first when a ball was hit to Rick at shortstop. Rick quickly fielded the ball and turned to flip it to the 2nd baseman, but the ball sort of caught on his finger and he lobbed it over the 2nd baseman's head into the outfield. A run scored and the other team went ahead of us by one run. When the inning was over he came running back to the dugout. I was the team coach at the time being a coach rather than a father, I said "should have had that". The moment I said it I regretted it. He broke down in tears, so I grabbed him by the shoulder and we walked down the sideline all the way out into left field and back taking, I telling him we could do it etc -baseball talk. By the time we got back he was smiling again. After that walk, Rick went in and hit three straight long home runs - and they had to be long because the field had no fence. By the time he got up for a fourth time, all the players and fans on both sides were standing to see if he could do it again. He gave some powerful swings but struck out!!!!
When Rick was a sophomore at Hillcrest High School in Midvale, he tore his ACL in this knee sliding into home plate while scoring the winning run in his first high school game. We spent many days together at the therapists. Dad setting there watching him work out in the water tubs and other therapeudic workout equipment. He was able to play the last few games of the season. The next spring the high school had changed coaches and Rick was cut from the team. I did the normal irate parent routine with coach and the superintendent, but as in most cases, it did not work, so Rick and I decided that every time the Hillcrest team practiced, we would go down to the baseball academy and have batting practice, workout his knee etc. So we did that and that summer Rick tried out for the Legion team and not only got on it but represented Hillcrest in the state all star game. That was a proud moment sitting in what was then Franklin Covey field with my father, Rick's grandfather and his mother listening to the announcer announce the players. The very first player announced was Rick and as he trotted to the first baseline and stood at attention, he looked back at us and smiled.
I am so grateful to have had Rick as a son and so grateful for our Grandson’s, Rick & Susan’s boys. They all have the same character traits Rick had. I am just going to mention one of them here since this is probably getting to long. Brandon Rick’s oldest son last February as a 90 lb freshmen in middle school decided he wanted to try out for the high school football team. I know that both I and Rick knew that there were tons of larger players trying out and that Brandon’s chances were likely very slim. Well Brandon through his strong willed determination and workout ethic gained 30 lbs this summer and started on the sophomore team as the punt and kickoff returner. He had some spectacular run backs and finally the coaches came to his parents and asked if he could be used on the varsity team. For the last four or five games Brandon played with the Varsity team and the last game his father Rick got to see was Brandon playing against Cottonwood in the playoffs. I was not at the game but the last text messages I received from my son Rick were these:
Herriman is winning 8 0 and ball is on the colts 18 year line.
Herriman is up 15 0
56 24 cottonwood. B was in on about 4 or 5 returns but never got the ball.
Good season overall for Herriman.
I loved my son very much. He will be missed, but I still have his sweet wife Susan and my grandson’s, Brandon, Greg, Kyle and Casey. I am looking forward to many happy days ahead as they each remind me of Rick with their mannerisms, sports ability etc.
Richard J. Farmer
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