Abbey Nicole Farr

Chesnee, SC- Abbey Nicole Farr, 21, daughter of Tracey Parks Farr and Scott Steven Farr, passed away on Wednesday, June 28, 2017. Abbey was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she lived until her family relocated to Thousand Oaks, California in 2001, returning to Huntsville, Alabama in 2004.  She attended Westminster Christian Academy and was a member of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church as well as her youth group at Madison Assembly of God.  Abbey was a volunteer for many causes close to her heart, and received awards and recognition for her talents in visual arts, drama, photography, and narrative writing, as well as academic achievement and leadership.  She also played soccer for over ten years, and her memories of her soccer family at Madison Futbol Xtreme were some of her greatest joys.  Following her graduation from WCA in 2013 she was awarded both Presidential and Art Scholarships by Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where she studied Interior Design and Spanish. After her freshman year Abbey opted to delay her education and set out to find her own path, a free spirit determined to live her life on her terms.  She eventually settled in Spartanburg and was working at Mellow Mushroom, and had just been asked to coordinate their social media communications.  She was planning her relocation to Alabama next spring, and had shared that the past few years had enabled her to grow and find her purpose. She had made several changes in her life and was hopeful about the path God was laying out for her future. She was “ready to come home.” These simple details about where Abbey lived, attended school, or worked cannot capture who she was and what she achieved in her brief but blazing arc through our world.  However, she had no problem cutting to the heart of it – in her Facebook description she says simply “I’m Abbey. I love my life and the people in it.”  All who knew her would agree with this truth and affirm that she lived it out with her whole being.  She had a servant’s heart, loving others with unashamed abandon and unwavering loyalty.  She used every God-given talent she had to positively impact others, whether it was through her art, or academics, or soccer, or work, or simply her courageous and fearless voice speaking out for those who could not. She never failed to make us laugh, and was authentic and remarkable in every moment we shared with her. Abbey noticed the smallest elements of beauty around her, and she instinctively sought to create beauty and share it with the world and the people she loved.  Her mother often called Abbey her “Child of Color," because she brightened all that she touched with her bold spirit, creative sparkle, brilliant mind, and tenacious heart for God.  For all who knew her the colors of our lives seem dimmed with her passing, but the great news is this is not the end of her story.  As she told us, she was ready to make her way home… She finished her journey and is home indeed, and it is comforting to picture her surrounded by all the love and beauty she deserves.  While our hearts are grieved, we find peace in knowing we will see her again through the love of Christ and by God’s grace and mercy.  She changed every life she touched and her legacy will continue on earth long after her name is forgotten. We rejoice that her spirit is free to soar as it was always meant to be by the loving God that created her, and we thank Him for blessing us with the time we had with her. In addition to her parents and step-mother Kelley, Abbey is survived by her beloved brother, Kendall Lee Farr, grandmother Margaret “Peggy” Calder Parks, and her aunts and uncles: Leslie Parks Laurendine (Chase), Steven Parks (Dinah), Michael Parks (Angel), Bruce Vinton Farr, Susan Farr Markem, and Lynn Farr Underwood (Mike).  Abbey was dearly loved by many cousins and extended family along with countless friends across the country.  She was predeceased by her grandparents William Ellett Parks, Carolyn Harnden Farr, and Robert Vinton Farr. Services will be held at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Madison, Alabama on Friday, July 7.  Visitation with the family will be in the main sanctuary from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, with her Celebration of Life service to immediately follow.  After the service everyone is invited to a lunch and reception in the Fellowship Hall.  Please come wear comfortable clothes with bright colors, bold jewelry, or anything else that reminds you of her free spirit and unforgettable laughter! In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Art Department at Westminster Christian Academy or Inside Out Studios at Lowe Mill, both in Huntsville.