William Lewis Farlow

William Lewis Farlow was born on April 8, 1949, in Maryville, Missouri, to Floyd Francis Farlow and Mary Lois (Moore) Farlow. Named for his grandfathers, he was welcomed home to Siam, Iowa, where he joined his older sister Beverly. In 1952 the family, now including younger sister Virginia, moved to Emmetsburg, where Will attended school and graduated in 1968. He was an active supporter of his high school’s football and wrestling teams, often assisting as team manager for his younger brother Virgil’s events. He later studied for a year at each of Emmetsburg Community College, Ellsworth Community College, and Northwest Missouri State College.

In 1972 Will married Mary Stanzel. The couple lived first in the Maryville area before settling in Curlew, where Will worked in the family oil business, driving a tank wagon for fuel deliveries, performing minor repairs at the service station, and helping with the car wash. After several years he returned to school and earned an associate of arts degree in horticulture from Iowa Lakes Community College in 1988. He then moved to the Des Moines area, where he worked at various businesses over the next two decades.

A lifelong Methodist, Will was most recently a member of West Des Moines United Methodist Church, where he and Mary enjoyed the MITSWITS class. He was also an active member of Gnemeth Masonic Lodge #577, serving in many offices and completing his term as Master in 2012. In 2006 he became a Polk County Master Gardener and volunteered regularly until 2016, devoting much of his time to the greenhouse and annual plant sale.

Will was preceded in death by his parents, Floyd and Mary Farlow, and his parents-in-law, Don and Fran Stanzel. He is survived by his wife Mary; son Markus (Cathy) of Boone and their children Nevaeh, Aaliyah, and Jordan; daughter Christine Griswold (Ross) of Des Moines and their daughters Lizzy and Thorne; sisters Beverly Farlow and Virginia (Richard) Portillo of the Rochester, Minnesota area; brother Virgil (Jacci) Farlow of Aurora, New York; and many nieces, nephews, Masonic brothers, and friends.