In Memory of Virgil "Pete" Farley

March 7, 1943 to November 7, 2023

George Washington Chapter member Pete Farley lost his battle with cancer in Williamsburg, Virginia last month at the age of 80 years old. He was inducted into the Chapter in November 2017 and two months later he was the Chapter Newsletter Editor. Pete's career and personal interests going back to high school focused upon printing. He entered a 4-year apprenticeship program through The International Typographical Union, becoming a skilled Journeyman Printer. After employment in various printing shops and newspapers in West Virginia and Virginia, he joined the print department at The Wall Street Journal in Silver Spring, Maryland in 1973 just as the days of hot metal typography were coming to an end due to the arrival of the computer era.

Eventually, he started his own business as a consultant of Graphics and Printing and spent the last fifteen years of his career at the Defense Logistics Agency at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

From early childhood, Pete was an avid collector of baseball cards (and was one of the fortunate whose mother did not toss out his collection). His collection of cards and baseball memorabilia continued his entire life. He was a baseball super-fan and particularly loved the Yankees of the 1950s-60s.

Pete maintained an avid interest in both history and ancestry. Over the years he was a devoted supporter of organizations such as The Friends of Mount Vernon, The Mosby Heritage Area Association, Civil War Trust, National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Society of American Baseball Research.

Pete was honored by Virginia SAR as the 2022 Newsletter Editor of the Year. He is survived by his devoted wife of 40 years, Carol Simpson Farley; son, Jeffrey C. Farley (Paula) of Virginia Beach, VA; daughter, Nanette Farley Lucas, of Tallahassee, FL; stepsons, John Reedy (Kari) of Ayden, NC, and Matthew Reedy (Julie) of Midlothian, VA; and seven grandchildren.

Additional information can be found here in his online obituary: https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/29968751/virgil-c-farley