Obituary of Barbara L. Farlie

Barbara Leitzow Farlie, a longtime Montclair resident and accomplished author and artist, as well as the former First Lady of Montclair, passed away on Monday, June 10, at the age of 87.

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota to Herman and Blanche Leitzow, Mrs. Farlie was a partner in the Montclair-based interior design firm Finders Design for more than 30 years. Earlier, she wrote several books on crafts, including “Beading Basic and Boutique,” “All About Doll Houses,” “Your House in Needlepoint,” and others. Mrs. Farlie hosted a syndicated television program in the 1970s focused on crafting called “All About Crafts,” which taped more than 65 episodes. In parallel with these professional accomplishments, Barbara found time to be deeply involved in raising her four children, serving on various school committees and PTAs.

Mrs. Farlie was a dedicated volunteer to the organizations and communities in which she lived. She was a longtime member of the Montclair Garden Club, the Smith Club of Montclair, President of the Visiting Nurse Association and a docent at the Montclair Art Museum, where she led several marquee fundraising events over the years. She was also a longtime trustee of the Montclair Public Library.

Mrs. Farlie graduated from Smith College and was a proud graduate of Montclair High School. Early in her career, she joined J. Walter Thompson, working in the art department alongside Andy Warhol. Soon after starting, she rekindled her acquaintance with Bill Farlie, an old Princeton friend. The two married in 1960 and settled in Washington DC, where Bill was in law school. Barbara took a job with the FBI, working for J. Edgar Hoover’s assistant director.

Mrs. Farlie was a longtime member of the Montclair Golf Club and a dedicated parishioner of St. Cassian Church in Upper Montclair, where she served for many years as a Eucharistic Minister. Barbara and Bill were fortunate to be able to travel extensively, including four trips to Asia, as well as Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Russia.

In addition to her family, one of her great loves was “The Anchorage” in Upper Montclair, the brick Georgian house that was the Farlie family home for nearly 30 years. In 1972, she and her family moved into the house she had admired since childhood and lovingly cared for it - hosting family and friends for parties, events and Christmas celebrations there.

In her later years, Mrs. Farlie embraced her love of crafts with watercolor painting and creating bespoke seashell mirrors. She divided her time between Caldwell, NJ and Pompano Beach, FL, often accompanied by family. She was a lifelong avid reader and loved nothing more than holidays and special occasions surrounded by her family and large group of friends. Since moving to Crane’s Mill in 2016, Barbara had a close-knit group of friends and was active on the Residents Committee.

Despite all her personal and professional accomplishments, Barbara was most proud of being a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She loved nothing more than catching up with her children and grandchildren, often on Zoom in her later years, and could hardly wait to tell family and friends of their accomplishments.

She is survived by her four children: Elisabeth [Farlie] Bannerot of Charleston, SC; William Farlie, III (Patricia) of Wayne, NJ; Craig Farlie (Stacey) of Fort Lauderdale, FL; and Matthew Farlie (Mary) of North Caldwell, NJ; and 10 loving grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; as well as two sisters: Nancy Brown of New York and Judith Hauser of Ohio; and a sister-in-law, Kathleen Murphy (Thomas), of New Jersey. She was predeceased by her husband, William N. Farlie Jr., the former Mayor of Montclair (1996-2000) in 2012.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or the Montclair Public Library.

A mass of Christian burial will be offered on Saturday June 15 at 11AM at Saint Cassian Church, 187 Bellevue Avenue Montclair, NJ.