Lemley Chapel
Serving Sedro-Woolley &
All of Skagit County Since 1935
1008 Third Street
Sedro-Woolley, WA
360-855-1288
www.LemleyChapel.com

Inez Clara Farmer

Inez Clara Farmer

Monday, February 17th, 2003

INEZ CLARA CALKINS BRIGHAM FARMER, 95, a lifelong resident of the Montborne, WA area, passed away peacefully on Monday February 17, 2003 at the Life Care Center of Skagit Valley in Sedro-Woolley, WA.
She was born on August 16, 1907, the third of four children of William Roger & Osie Violet Phillips Calkins, All of the children were born at the family home in Montborne, WA.
She was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, a brother, two husbands, a son, and two grandsons. Her first husband, Ray Brigham was killed in 1943 in a logging accident on the Olympic Peninsula. Her second husband Bascom Farmer died in 1978 from a stroke. She is survived by her five children Elzada Brigham Henderson of Montborne, Valdine Brigham Wilson of Sedro-Woolley, Bill and his wife Jan Brigham, Jim and his wife Denise Farmer, and Dennis and his wife Virginia Farmer all of Montborne. A son Larry Brigham passed away in 1988. Twenty-0ne grandchildren Mike, Don, Dan, Dale, and Judy Henderson, Wayne Wilson, Lavonne Wilson Cook, Ray and Joline Wilson, Bonnie Brigham, Deanna Brigham Howard, Jannette Brigham, Dawn Brigham VanPelt, Colleen Brigham, Wells, Arnie, Karen, Steven, Alan Brigham, Christopher, Brian, and Jobin Farmer. Grandsons Carl Henderson and Carl Brigham preceded her in death. Bill’s step children also knew her as grandmother and they include John Abrahamson, Georganne Johnson, Jacquie Torgerson, and Jeff Abrahamson. There are 43 great grandchildren and 24 great great grandchildren.
Inez Farmer presided over a large family from the ancestral home at Montborne, She had a very adventuresome spirit and encouraged and allowed her off-spring to enjoy and experience life. In recent years she entertained everyone with her lively memories of the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. She served as Democratic Precinct Committeeman at Montborne from 1949 until the 1970’s. For over 50 years, first her father and she served on the election board and the family home was the polling place for the precinct. Several times she was a delegate representing Skagit County at the State Democratic Convention. She was instrumental in helping form the Montborne Improvement Club in the early 50’s in order to construct a a community water system. She served for over 25 years as the secretary and treasurer of the community utility company. Inez was a voracious reader and taught all of her children to appreciate the knowledge and adventure that come from books. In recent years, the children were kept busy finding audio books for her to ‘read’ as her eyesight had failed. She was incredibly intelligent and maintained her memory and communication abilities right up to her stroke. Though she had lived on the Olympic Peninsula for a few years in the 1930’s and 40’s she spent most of her life and was still living amongst family on the same property on which she and three of her six children were born. She will be remembered for her spirit and zest for life and for the values that she handed down to over 100 direct descendents.
Funeral Services will be Saturday, February 22, 2003 at 2:00PM at Lemley Chapel with burial to follow at the Sedro-Woolley Union Cemetery. A reception will follow the services at the Eagles Hall at the corner of Warner and Metcalf. You are invited to share your thoughts and memories of Inez by signing our online guestbook at www.lemleychapel.com.

Guestbook

  • Sande Jenkins Sandbom

    I never met Inez, but I just recently came across photographs of her, and her mom Osie, and of Valdine and Elzada, and of Pamela and Karen Brigham, in pictures from my aunt, Alice Thomas Slater, also from the Montborne family of Henry and Hazel Thomas. I remember hearing the name Inez Farmer over the years. Her niece, Ina Calkins, was my cousin.

  • Megan (O'Neil) Isbrandtsen

    I’m still thinking/remembering about her. So glad she was an influential person in my life. One of the strongest female preasentses for a young person. A major impact in a young persons life…to last a lifetime. I wish I could have heard more first hand stories, however, I doubt the secondhand stories are elaborated. She was amazing to me at age of 15. I loved her then and I love her now.

    -Karen L. Brigham’s daughter Megan L. (O’Neil) Isbrandtsen.–2014–.