David Farmer Obituary

David Rick Farmer, 63, of Durango CO, passed away on September 15th, 2020 at his home after a long fought battle with cancer. He was born in Abbeville, LA on March 17, 1957 to Bobby Don Farmer, Sr and Patricia Cash Farmer Trahan. David was preceded in in death by his father, Bobby Don Farmer, Sr. and brother, Gary Lee Farmer. He is Survived by his partner and companion, Lorelei Almond, his mother, Patricia Cash Farmer Trahan, brother Bobby Don Farmer, Jr. (Betty), two sisters, Sandy Hayden (Gary), Patricia Weegman (Ron). After attending Abbeville High School, David went on to serve in The United States Army as a medic and discovered his calling as he worked in a physical Therapy clinic in El Paso, Texas. In 1982, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Louisiana State University Medical Center School of Allied Health Professionals. As a reward to himself upon graduation, he hitchhiked west to hike in the Rocky Mountains in Durango, Colorado where he looked around and decided that this was where he wanted to be. He quietly built a life in Durango but was THE physical therapist to the professional mountain bike community for many years. Several World Champion Mountain Bike competitors credit their success to David. Julie Furtado, Lisa Muhich, and John Tomac all trained with David Farmer. John best summed his experience working with David by saying "I won both world cup and national events while working with David. We had a great time working together while at the same time learning a lot about training programs together. I really enjoyed his enthusiasm for the sport of mountain biking and this enthusiasm also carried this over into his life in general. He was a great guy and he pursued life with a passion." A unique character, David Farmer was Cajun to the core, keeping his Louisiana roots and that deep accent until the end. For those who got to know David, it did not take long to realize that he was a brilliant individual. He loved simple things: his ukulele, his old Volkswagen "Thing", a hat some friends gave him, working on his coffee plantation or helping a friend with a queen bee company in Kona, Hawaii which he considered his second home. For who really knew David would call him an "Enabler." Those that worked with him would tell you that he enjoyed their success as though it was his own. On more than one occasion, David would travel to a meeting just to be there when another friend received an award. It was more important to David that that his friend got an award than if he had gotten it himself. If David Farmer had been on a team, he would have been the perfect teammate. He would have never been concerned with his own stats, just the success of the team. With David, success meant that you were "all in." Whether in sport or one of his businesses, David was always telling those around him that "Good is not good enough and great is just a step in the right direction." David always brought the best out of people - both in sport and in life. Besides clinical services, David Farmer also gave his time and expertise to his profession as a whole. He was very active in the Sports Physical Therapy Section of the APTA. David was a SPTS executive board member in the 1980's and helped organized and administer the Section's specialty board preparation continuing education courses in Lake Tahoe, New Orleans and Salt Lake City. Perhaps one of his biggest legacies to the profession was his passion for service and commitment to fund raising - especially the annual fun runs. His service to the profession could best be summarized by saying "You could always count on David helping at every fun run the Section sponsored at CSM and Annual Conference. Nothing was more important to David than spending time with friends. David would travel to join friends wherever they might be, sleeping on the couch if need be. For those that knew David, he had an amazing ability to connect with people. Many would say that "the first time I met David, he made it seem like we had been friends forever-that I was the most important person in the room." David Farmer with the ultimate friend. Those who spent time with David in the past two years couldn't help but notice a significant change in his life. Having given his life to Christ, he began attending First Baptist Church Durango where he served as a Trustee. He also regularly attended Redemption Church, a gospel community group, a Sunday school class. David's faith, family, and friends were his passionate focus even as he bravely fought the challenges of cancer. David never wanted to ruin anyone's day. He kept things close to the chest hoping he would not spoil any event he attended. But he always kept his family and friends close. He was man who assisted so many people behind the scenes never looking for glory. His Lord and Savior was his hero. We have lost a true and trusted friend from this world.