Robert T. Farley

Robert Thomas Farley was delivered into this world by his great aunt, Dr. EV Franklin, first woman ambulance doctor, on August 1948 in Brooklyn, New York. He died on December 13, 2025 in Albany surrounded by friends and family.

He was an alumni of BBS in Manchester and attended Castleton State College. He then enrolled into the school of practicalities becoming a mechanic, logger, carpenter, realtor, and a master builder. His encyclopedic knowledge of every facet of his field made him the “go to guy” amongst his colleagues. Robert A. will carry on the business, Farley Construction.

Bob was multitalented and gifted with a curious mind. He was a fabulous cook and trained his sons, Robert and Liam, and nephew Josiah in the manly arts of barbecue. Holidays Bob ruled with his gravies, moist turkeys, and delightful surprises such as lemon posset.

He was a legendary animal trainer (making allowances for the knucklehead bull terrier, Spencer). His extraordinary patience never wavered. His many dogs and even cats would always come when called, sit and wait for meals. He said the secret is consistency. If the cat or dog ran away under the bed, you shook the bed out. If the cat tried to climb the roof to get away, so did Bob. But they all adored him, including many he actually did not own.

He kept and raised tropical fish from early childhood throughout his life, creating fairy tale aquatic environments for everyone’s enjoyment. In high school unknowing visitors were invited to feed his huge Oscar fish that amused us with its terrifying leap out of the tank for food. All our kids fell under the spell of his kind and loving nature. He never let anyone interrupt them while talking and took them seriously. He explained the whys of everything, sometimes endlessly. To this day his grown sons, nephews and nieces credit their successes in life to his devoted attention and relentless work ethic.

Cause of death was the unfortunate handful of cards he was dealt. A catastrophic heart attack twenty-five years ago dropped him into a five week coma. As he fluttered on the precipice of life, his distraught friends and family desperately waited for his advice on their cars, home maintenance, and, of course, kids and dogs.

When he awoke perfectly cogent, albeit with very little heart function, the stunned head cardiologist said if he survived three years, he could make it to twenty. The return of his kidney function in the Bennington dialysis center was declared only the second miracle ever witnessed. Bob was back at work soon after and never retired as work was life for him.

Ironically Bob will be remembered for the biggest heart ever, heroically being the first to help anyone. He never refused to fix things for people, or would check out seemingly over
estimated jobs for nothing. He plowed those that couldn’t afford it, and went out of his way to pull people from ditches. Whatever the crisis he always kept his cool to get the job done from getting his nephew to the ER, his sister to a newly renovated home, or to getting a roof fixed.

A friend said, “when I think of Bob, I think of an honest guy who if he couldn’t help me out would point me in the direction of another honest guy who could and always did,” after I
mentioned Bob’s name. “The world would be a better place if we lived by his wise and diplomatic admonishment: “Never get into a battle of wits with an unarmed man.”

He was devoted to his beautiful wife Verna who died in 2014. Along with his sons, their lovely wives, Adria and Carrie, and his grandchildren, Silas and Luna, he is survived by his siblings Thomas, Janice, Richard, Jo-Ann, and Scott, and his many nieces and nephews who will all forever miss him.

Bob will be remembered for his compassion, knowledge, stories and humor. He was a true miracle.

A celebration of his life will be held in the spring. You are never dead until you are forgotten.