Thomas Humbird Farnham died suddenly on October 12, 2023, at the age of 73, after a brief battle with acute myeloid leukemia and pneumonia. Preceded in death by his parents Charles Wells Farnham II and Dorothy, brothers Christopher and David, Tom is mourned by his wife Flopsy, children Tom II, Betsy and David, brother Charles Wells Farnham III, sister Mary Whitney and many nieces and nephews. Humbird, by the way was his great-grandmother Kate’s maiden name.
Tom graduated from Delbarton High School in Morristown, NJ, where he was a proud member of the 1968 state champion basketball team. Delbarton is a premier Catholic all-boys college preparatory school in the Benedictine tradition. It will come as no surprise that a Rotarian sprang from a school that fosters a culture of service and expects every student to participate in community service projects annually.
Tom then went on to Saint John’s University, graduating with his bachelor’s degree in 1972. He then began a 19-year career at American National Bank and Trust here he became VP and Manager of Private Banking. From there he moved into the insurance arena, working 17 years as VP of T.C. Field and Co and finally as Senior Risk Consultant for Bearance Management Group. Family was a strong thread in Tom’s life and his move into insurance echoed his great-grandfather’s career with the State of Minnesota insurance commissioner which in turn gave his great-grandfather a national reputation as an expert in insurance law.
As a Saint Paul Rotarian, Tom received the president’s gavel on his birthday, July 2, 2002, from Past President Nancy McKillips. His theme that year was “CPR – Commitment for Personal Responsibility.”
The meeting topics during his year as president echo today’s local and world struggles: Challenges Facing the Catholic Church, the Changing Face of Education, Is War Against Iraq Justified? Speakers included Saint Paul Fire Chief and the Presidents of Hamline, Metro State and the University of Minnesota. It being Tom, there was time for humor as well. One program was devoted to a young Hmong humorist highlighting the feelings of people from other cultures.
Service projects during Tom’s year included collecting books and computers to send to Africa and filling backpacks for students in Guyana, South America.
A highlight for Tom was when he welcomed RI President and former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Bhichai Rattakul. Tom presented a check from the club for $25,000 toward the club’s 3-yr commitment of $50,000 for Polio Plus. That year Rotary immunized 70M West Africans.
In his typical style, Tom graded his year as president with a “B,” partially because of the lack of membership growth following the huge growth of Nancy McKillips’ year.
Of course, we need to talk about Tom as our resident roast master. Tom’s wit was dry and sharp. He famously started thinking about a president’s roast from the moment of their installation. Some of us in the room, including me and President Heidi have gotten the quiet comment after our installations: “Oh, you’re going to be fun to roast.” Always delivered with a twinkle in his eye. Tom’s own roast was in the style of Dean Martin with Tom seated on a unique porcelain “throne” receiving sharp comments from those present.
Tom said he was deeply appreciative of the leadership opportunity of being club president and would remember it “until the day I die.”
Tom was also well known for fueling the rivalry between his fellow Johnnys and the Tommys in the club. For those new to the club or Minnesota, those are graduates of Saint John’s University and St. Thomas University. I am delighted to share Tom’s report to Doug Bruce from the pearly gates: “As I approached St. Peter, I was pleased to see so many Tommys in line. Of course, I was walking past them because Johnnys have a fast lane.”
A Saint Paulite born and bred; Tom’s brother Charlie said to me that “the only person in Saint Paul Tom doesn’t know is the guy who moved here from Bloomington this afternoon.”
I close with the final lines from Tom’s great-grandfather’s memorial from the Ramsey County Bar Association delivered in 1932 that seems almost apt (with the note that no life is as serene as it might look from the outside):
“The end, which came without warning, was as peaceful and serene as had been his life. And so there passed a devoted husband and father, a genial companion and true friend.”
President Heidi and fellow club members, I request that this memorial be read into the minutes of the Saint Paul Rotary Club for this day, November 28, 2023
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