Stephen Farrier

Stephen Floyd Farrier aka “Papa Steve”, 76, passed away on April 4th in a memory care facility, in Brea, California from Alzheimer’s disease. He will be laid to rest on the afternoon of April 15th, 2020 at Green Hills Mortuary in Palos Verdes, California next to his mother, father and brother. Although the Cemetery is not allowing persons to be present at the time of burial, due to the current restrictions of COVID-19, family and friends will be allowed the following day to pay their respects at the gravesite. A graveside service and memorial are planned for a later date.

Stephen Farrier was born on the 11th of June 1943 in Mattoon Illinois, to Nolan and DeLoris Farrier. His parents along with his older brother Jerry moved out to California in the 1950’s and settled into Carson, California. Unfortunately, his older brother Jerry was killed in a car accident at the young age of 18. Stephen attended Banning High School where he was on the swim team and during that time his love of cars grew and grew. He was married right after high school to his first and only wife Karen. They had three children; Jerry (named after his brother), Tommy, and Wendy. His father Nolan Farrier passed away in 1968 and he divorced from his wife Karen in 1972.

During his early adult years, he was often found at the nearby racetrack, Lions drag strip, in Wilmington. It was literally in his backyard and he could walk there right from his house. He raced there several times in his black 1962 Corvette and loved telling stories of the glory days there at the legendary track. He was also an excellent dancer and was even asked to appear on the TV show American Bandstand, which he turned down due to his current job. He was an avid car collector throughout his life and could take many of his cars apart and rebuild them all on his own. He worked as a Parts Manager at Timmons Volkswagen and owned a liquor store before going into business with his mother. Together his mother and he managed homes and apartments that they owned, and he proved to be a very good handyman. His mother DeLoris and him had a very tight bond and they would often take cruises to Hawaii and go to Las Vegas together. He also enjoyed taking his children on cruises to Alaska and Canada and camping trips in the Sierras. Most of his spare time was spent either with his children or mother as he never remarried. He enjoyed car shows, drag strips, and classic car museums. His car collection grew into a lifelong hobby and he had many trophies from his classic cars and often won “Best in Show” at many of the car hops and car shows he attended. He also belonged to a Ferrari owners club and enjoyed taking long drives through Palos Verdes in his Ferrari Maranello, his favorite of his collection.

Although he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and was diagnosed in 2017, he still enjoyed dancing. He loved twirling his dance partners and often surprised many with his dancing moves. He would often get up and dance at a moment’s notice upon hearing his favorites; Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Dion and the Belmonts, Buddy Holly, or any of the Doo-wop oldies. He is remembered for his witty sense of humor, his gentle nature, his sweet smile, and his amazing dance moves.

He will forever be in our hearts and memory, Love and miss you Papa Steve.

He is survived by his children, Jerry, Tommy, and Wendy and his grandchildren Amanda and Priscilla. He is also lovingly survived by extended family and friends.