Calvin Farmer
Calvin Farmer was born on October 1, 1925 to the late Oscar and Sarah Farmer near Humboldt, Tenn.
At the age of 18, Mr. Farmer served in World War II and was assigned to the 1328th Army Air Force Base Unit stationed near the India/Burma border. He supervised 25 servicemen who supplied high priority cargo to support operations.
After the war, Mr. Farmer received his diploma and married his high school sweetheart, the late Ollie Ruth Claybrook Farmer.
Mr. Farmer accepted Christ as his personal savior at Salam Baptist Church. He later worshipped at multiple church congregations in Humboldt, serving as a deacon, Boy Scout master, superintendent of Sunday school and a member of the male chorus at Morning Star Baptist Church, and a devoted Sunday school class member at St. James Baptist Church.
He had professional careers in construction, community service, activism and insurance. Most notably, he was the first black man elected to serve as alderman in the city of Humboldt. He championed the integration of municipal offices and the placement of black employees at the city’s utility company, as well as the fire and police departments. Mr. Farmer also served on the Humboldt Planning Commission for over 20 years and spearheaded the construction of the Humboldt High School complex and the Humboldt Municipal Building.
He loved to garden, barbecue and build—hobbies he shared with the Humboldt community.
Mr. Farmer rested from his labor on February 3, 2019. Among those left to cherish his memory are his daughter, Berneta Miles of Memphis, Tenn.; his son, Calvin Tyrone Farmer (Jane) of Guntown, Miss.; three grandchildren, Erica Miles of Washington, D.C., Dedra (Kevin) Williams of Atlanta, Ga., and Nathanael Farmer of Guntown; Mississippi; two great-grandchildren, Jonathan and Kristen Williams of Atlanta, Georgia, and a dear sister-in-law, Guernia (Darryl) Flenoy of Chicago, Ill.; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Mr. Farmer will lay in repose on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at the Baskerville Funeral Home from 1 – 5 p.m. followed by family visitation from 5 – 7 p.m. His celebration of life service will be held at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church on Thursday, February 14, 2019 at 6 p.m. and via live video stream at https://morningstarhumboldt.org/. He will be interred at the Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery at Parkers Crossroads on Friday, February 15, 2019 at 10:45 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial donations be made to the Boys and Girls Club in Humboldt, Tenn.