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John Edward Farr, 82, of DuBois, PA, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones, on Monday, February 19, 2024, from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident in Myrtle Beach, SC.
John was born on March 2, 1941 in Waukegan, IL, to the late Clarence and Emma (Kotila) Farr. On May 12, 1990, John married the true love of his life, Catherine (Kuniski) Farr. She survives.
John was a 1959 graduate of Highland Park High School; he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Physics from Northwestern University and was awarded his PhD from the Pennsylvania State University.
John felt fortunate to have been a recipient of an Evans Scholars Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship for golf caddies; in recent years he served on the Western Pennsylvania Evans Scholars selection committee.
He began his career at the Penn State Beaver campus before transferring to the DuBois campus in 1972, where he was an assistant professor of physics until his retirement in 2003. John loved teaching and was awarded the "Educator of the Year Award" from the DuBois Educational Foundation in 1987. He encountered many students who in later years expressed their gratitude for the positive, lasting impact he had on their lives and careers.
Upon retiring, he and a friend embarked on an ambitious cross-country bicycling trip, dipping their rear wheels in the Pacific Ocean at San Francisco, and rolling their front wheels into the Atlantic Ocean, 8 weeks and 3,420 miles later in Virginia Beach.
John was a voracious, lifelong learner. He earned an associate degree in Wildlife Technology from PSU DuBois after retiring from teaching; he studied Spanish in Mexico and pursued opportunities to use the language whenever possible on trips in Mexico, Latin America and Spain. He and Cathy enjoyed their travels together, especially their many visits to US national parks, and European & Central American destinations. Their favorite cities included Paris and Venice, which inspired the names of their beloved cats.
John was passionate about helping others in meaningful ways, particularly through his tireless work to revive and sustain Habitat for Humanity of Clearfield County, where his various roles included Board President, Construction Supervisor, and continual supporter and advocate. He undertook more than 20 yearly bicycle trips to raise funds in support of Habitat's mission. He also founded and organized the "King of the Mountain" bicycle race, an annual Habitat fundraiser.
Above all, he will be fondly remembered as a gentle soul and a true renaissance man.
His interests were many and varied, including bicycling, playing basketball, hiking, model trains and railroading, antique clocks, metal arts classes, crossword puzzles, traveling and reading. He especially enjoyed seeking out the best chocolate chip cookie, having a nice glass of wine, and sharing special times with family and friends.
In addition to his beloved wife, Cathy, he is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, John Hershel Farr and Erin Thomas of State College; daughter Cynthia (Donald) O'Hora of Shamokin Dam; stepson Bill (Kelly) Hughes of State College; grandchildren Sebastian and Cadence Farr, James O'Hora, Jennifer (Brent) Prevratil; great-grandchildren Lilly and Jax Prevratil, and Ashley Haberman; brother Tom (Mary) Farr; brother- and sister-in law Joseph and Mary Kuniski; cousin Robert Sette; and nephews Daniel and Nic Farr, as well as the many friends whose lives he touched.
John's lifelong desire to help others continues upon his passing, as his tissue donation will impact more than 100 lives.
Visitation was held Saturday, March 2, 2024 from 12 p.m.�3 p.m. at the Baronick Funeral Home & Crematorium, Inc.
The funeral service was private.
Burial was in St. Catherine Cemetery.
.Online condolences can be sent to www.baronickfuneralhome.com.
Published by The Courier Express on Feb. 24, 2024.
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Gene ALTMAN, M. D.
John was our best cross-country runner. He inspired me to join the cross-country team and "give it my all," as he said and did. We often ran together, in training and in meets. One of my enduring memories is of John up ahead of me with his long, loping strides, breezing across the finish line after what for me would be 3 long, exhausting miles.
I had a great talk with John at our 50th reunion. This time he inspired me with his evident devotion and dedication to strengthening the character of the students he taught and coached. It was clear he cared most about helping them believe in themselves and their capacity to give it their all. John was infinitely curious, compassionate and a great human being.
Gene
Fred Phillips
I had the pleasure of knowing John both at Highland Park High School and at Northwestern as fellow Evans Scholars. We had occasional get togethers well after we graduated. It was at one of these meetings that I asked John if he still did any running. He indicated that he didn't but he did get into cycling. I asked if he raced but as I recall he said he was more into distance cycling. I asked about what kind of distance, and he told me about his cross country marathon from San Francisco to Virginia Beach!! Needless to say I was more than impressed and stunned when he told me that. John touched a lot of lives in a very positive way as a founder of the Habitat For Humanity in Clearfield, PA. I and a number of other Evans Scholars supported John when he would tell us of his fundraiser for Habitat through cycling events in that area of Pennsylvania. John was a great guy and a remarkable human being. We were very lucky to have a guy like John in our lives!!
Steven Seiler
John and I recently reconnected after many years and it was a true pleasure to see and talk with he and Cathy. He was a class act and the world is a better place because of him. Blessings to Cathy and the family, and Bless your soul John.
Rosalie Ward (Delaney Neuwirth)
John was an extraordinary fellow. He excelled athletically and in academia and in community service. He never stopped improving the world around him. His gentle kindness and humility attracted many admirers. He was a star. Who could know how many fields John would excel in-- including long-distance cycling -- when I attended our high school Prom with John?