James Dean ‘Jim, JD, or Jimmy’ Farnham

MESA, Ariz. – James Dean “Jim, JD, or Jimmy” Farnham went to be with the Lord on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at his home in Mesa.

Jim was born Aug. 17, 1953, to Marshall and Jean Milks Farnham Sr. of Little Valley, N.Y., where he was raised along with his six siblings.

Most of those early years were spent on a small dairy farm. Back in those days, they started the boys young helping with chores, and at the age of four, Jim was driving the tractor while his older brothers and father were bailing hay. He learned about cows, farming, making maple syrup and so much more. In his teen years, Jim participated in tractor driving competitions and even went to the state finals and placed.

Jim attended Little Valley Central School, Class of 1971. His love for playing football and then looking forward to football season every year continued throughout his entire life. It never ceased to amaze his family how he remembered the players and the details of specific games from over twenty years ago.

At the age of 19, Jim was employed at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, N.Y., where he worked for the next 32 years, until Kodak, sadly, began its decline.

On Sept. 20, 1975, Jim married Darlene K. Schauman Farnham, also of Little Valley. They resided in Rochester for the first years of their marriage, and then they had their first home built in Hilton, N.Y., where they welcomed their first daughter, Marie.

Having both been raised in the country, Jim and Darlene later moved to Albion, N.Y. and purchased a home with 19 acres. It was there that their second daughter, Michele, joined the family.

Through those years, Jim and Darlene did most of the restoring of their home and building a life with their girls and their activities. Jim was always a hard worker and had a talent for achieving what ever he set his mind to, regardless of whether it pertained to his job, sports or construction around the home. Yes, for those who knew Jim, cars continued to be a passion, along with his tractors and tools. Of course, he had his girls driving a tractor in their early youths as well.

Upon leaving Kodak in 2004, Jim worked as a bus driver for the next nine years in the Albion Central School System. He had always told his daughters that he was going to do that when he retired, and that is what he did. During those years, Jim and Darlene enjoyed time traveling, and Jim’s favorite location was in Arizona.

After 14 years of summers in Arizona, they decided to buy a place in the Valley of the Sun, to go back and forth to. Shortly after, Jim decided he had had his fill of winters and moved to their new home in Mesa, where he then resided the next 10 years. Darlene joined him two years later when her place of employment closed their doors. During his time in Arizona, Jim worked as a shuttle driver for Earnhardt Toyota Dealership, a great place for a person who loves cars and loves driving.

Jim is survived by his beloved wife, Darlene, of 51 years; daughters, Marie Farnham of Spencerport and Michele (Shaun) Panek, of Bradford, Pa.; granddaughters, Alice and Ellie Panek; sister, Carol Skibenes of New Jersey; brothers, Kenneth Farnham of Little Valley, N.Y. and Kevin (Marianne) Farnham of Bethlehem, Pa.; Robert Schauman, father-in-law, of Mesa; Maxeen Winship, sister-in-law, of Little Valley; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

James was predeceased by his parents, Marshall and Jean Farnham; brothers, Rodger Farnham of Morganton, N.C. and Marshall Farnham Jr. of Little Valley; and sister, Anne Townsend of Morganton.

Jim’s Celebration of Life services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 1, 2027, from the Mentley Funeral Home in Little Valley.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are welcome to be made in honor of Jim to the Bradford Area Christian Academy of Bradford, where his granddaughters attend and his daughter, Michele, is the administrator of the school.