James Thomas Farley

James (Jim) Farley, 86, of Urbandale, passed away peacefully with family by his side on October 26, 2023.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Urbandale with a visitation taking place one hour prior beginning at 10:00 a.m. A private family burial will be held at Fairview Cemetery near Madrid, IA. Memorial contributions may be directed to the family for use at a future designation.

James was born on October 15, 1937 in Des Moines. He attended Dowling Catholic High School and Loras College before serving in the United States Air Force. He married Marilyn Carter Peterson on May 12, 1967 and celebrated fifty-six years together. Jim worked for Massey Ferguson and later for USPS, retiring in 2004. Jim enjoyed his family including 4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. He was his grandkids biggest fan and did not miss a game, concert, or any event they were involved in. Instead of downsizing their home at retirement, they bought a much larger home to host the entire family for holidays, birthdays, and many other happy occasions. He was a lifelong fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents Thomas and Della Mae Farley, sibling Della Jean Dunbar and sons, Mark Peterson, Thomas and Michael Farley. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; daughters,  Jeralee Justice and Donna Thompson; son, Scott (Lisa) Peterson; grandchildren, Heather (Eric) Ulan and James (Sara) Davidson, Avery (Noah) Ruchti and Lauren Peterson, and great-grandchildren Genevieve Davidson, Bauer and Sayer Ulan. He is also survived by siblings Patti (Gary) Vignovich, Robert (Sherry) Farley, JoAnn (Robert) Butenhoff and Sue Farley.

Jim was a kind and gentle soul, a steady rock for his family always and will be dearly missed by both family and friends. The family would like to thank the Priests of St. Pius X; the chaplains, and Sister Susan of Mercy One for their kindness.