Robert "Robb" Farmer

Danville, Kentucky & Marion, Virginia 

Walter Robert “Robb” Farmer, age 56, of Danville, Kentucky departed this mortal world on May 14, 2024 at University of Louisville Health Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky.

Brilliant, kind, creative, and funny, Robb was a uniquely remarkable person, and our lives will be infinitely more boring without him. On December 28, 1967 in Marion, Virginia, Walter Robert Farmer was born to his parents, Ervin and Brenda Bales Farmer. He was born prematurely, which affected him throughout his life, as he found having to celebrate Christmas and his birthday together an inconvenient injustice. When still a baby, little Robbie underwent surgery to treat a blood clot on the brain. After the successful operation, his parents would soon discover that Robbie’s brain was anything but ordinary. Robbie began a lifelong love of reading - devouring books from the library, retaining information, random facts, and insights far beyond his years. Throughout elementary school, Robbie won spelling bees, played piano, tutored high schoolers on the bus, and played games with his siblings, David, Jerry Lee, and Callie, in the cool Southwest Virginia mountain air. When the family moved to Danville, Kentucky in 1979, Robbie became “Robb”, and made new friends on Waterworks Road, playing Flashlight Tag, backyard ball, and Atari. We all tuned in to WLEX to watch Robb and his Boyle County High School quiz bowl teammates best far bigger schools on “In the Know” and then go on to compete nationally. Among his many activities and interests, Robb was a football manager, Governor’s Scholar, National Merit Finalist, and newspaper editor. While homebound recovering from major spinal surgery, Robb created and wrote a highly entertaining weekly comic book heroine series, “Rebelle,” for the school newspaper. He was voted Most Likely to Succeed by the 1986 BCHS graduating class and accepted a full scholarship to the University of Louisville. While at UofL, Robb found his people and became an avid Cardinals fan. Naturally, he excelled academically but also grew personally as he discovered a love for the excitement of city living. Robb graduated from UofL in 1990 with a B.S. in Political Science and enrolled in the University of Kentucky College of Law. While at UK, he competed in the national college academic team bowl. Robb graduated with his Juris Doctor Degree in 1994. Shortly thereafter, Robb was looking for new friends via a new communication platform, the Internet. In an AOL chatroom, he met a fellow Governor’s Scholar from Harlan named Kathy who was already living in Lexington. He and Kathy would become friends and then life partners. Married on October 26, 2002, in an unforgettable Halloween-costume-karaoke-themed wedding at The Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, KY, Robb and Kathy sang their vows and then honeymooned in sunny Nova Scotia before embarking on a lifetime of grand adventures together, collecting memories, friends, and family pets along the way. Professionally, Robb was dedicated to the law and learning. He practiced law in Kentucky, Arizona, and Nevada before finding his true calling for research while working at Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald in Louisville. Robb returned to the University of Kentucky to obtain his MSLS Degree in Library Science. He accepted a position as a Law Librarian at Arizona State University College of Law and then a tenure at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, where he served as the Law Librarian, Assistant Director of Legal Research and Instructional Services, Legal Research Professor, and Acting Director of the Faulkner Law Library. Robb was then called to Sitka, Alaska to be the Director of the Sitka Public Library, a community which he held in the highest esteem and longed to return to visit. Robb returned to Virginia as the Director of the Smyth County Public Library before he became ill and moved back to his hometown in Danville, Kentucky. Along the way, Robb earned additional degrees in Elementary Education, Criminal Justice, and probably others he failed to mention. He was also a Kentucky Colonel and a wedding officiant. Robb attended the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Midland, Michigan, and was proud to be a Santa Claus Ambassador in his spare time. He sought out and gave the best gifts. He loved helping people and making them happy. Robb was a man of many varied interests. He was Tuesday Night Trivia and professional wrestling. He was comic books and superhero movies. He was Singin’ in the Rain and AC/DC. He was sports and a die-hard Cards fan for life. He was fried apple butter pies, oysters and chili with hot sauce. He was silly character socks and neckties. He was a rescuer of unwanted animals and people. He believed in justice and in treating everyone with dignity, respect, and kindness. He was an organ donor, and although in the end most of his organs failed him, he gave his eyes that read thousands of books and saw the world with such wonder.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Walter & Gladys Bales, of Atkins, VA, and Robert & Lorraine Farmer, of Marion VA. Their example instilled the values of hard work, love for family, and a conviction to personal principles by which we all live.

Robb is survived by his wife, Kathy, and their beloved dogs; parents, Brenda and Ervin Farmer; brothers, David Farmer (Betty) and Jerry Lee Farmer (Nicole), all of Danville, Ky.; sister, Callie Farmer Minks (Chip) of Louisville, Ky.; as well as nieces and nephews whom he adored, Laken, Brooklyn, Hope, Sterling, LynnLee, Barrett and Britton.

Robb did not want a funeral; rather, he expressly requested a party. We will honor his amazing life on Friday, June 7th at 6:00 pm at The Rick House Event Barn at LockRidge Park, 550 Chenault Bridge Rd., Lancaster KY 40444. https://lockridgepark.com/ Dinner will be served. Limited lodging is available for out-of-town guests. 

Donations in Robb’s memory may be made to the Kentucky Humane Society 1000 Lyndon Lane Suite B, Louisville KY 40222 or online at www.kyhumane.org  or a no-kill shelter of your choosing.

To share memories of Walter Robert “Robb” Farmer, please visit www.seaverbrown.com. Care for Robb has been entrusted to Fraziers’ Seaver-Brown Funeral Service & Crematory, 237 East Main Street, Marion VA 24354.