William Lewis Farlow was born in Maryville, Missouri on April 8, 1949. He was given his grandfather's middle names, William for Floyd William Farlow and Lewis for Leonard Lewis Moore. His parents, Floyd Francis Farlow and Mary Lois (Moore) Farlow took him to their home in Siam, Iowa to join older sister Beverly.
In 1952, the family, which then included a younger sister Virginia, moved to Emmetsburg, where Will attended school thru high school graduation in 1968. He enjoyed participating in high school football and wrestling as a team manager, often supporting his younger brother Virgil's teams. He spent one year each at Emmetsburg Community College, Ellsworth Community College and Northwest Missouri State College.
Will was married in 1972 to Mary (Stanzel) Farlow. They lived in the Maryville, Missouri area for 2 years, then moved to Curlew so Will could work in the family oil business. He drove a tank wagon for fuel deliveries, worked in the service station doing minor repairs, and assisted with the carwash.
After several years working in the family business, he returned to school and completed a associate of arts horticulture degree at Iowa Lakes Community College in 1988. After graduation, he took a job in the Des Moines area. He worked at a number of businesses in the area over the next 20 years.
Will was a lifelong Methodist, most recently a member of the West Des Moines United Methodist church. He and Mary enjoyed the MITSWITS class's lessons and social activities. He joined the Gnemeth Masonic Lodge #577 and was active and held many offices over the years. He finished his year as Master in 2012 and continued to attend and participate. Will became a Polk County Master Gardener in 2006 and was an active volunteer until 2016. Most of his volunteer time was spent at the greenhouse and plant sale.
Will was preceded in death by both parents, Floyd Francis Farlow and Mary Lois (Moore) Farlow and his parents-in-law Don and Fran Stanzel. He is survived by his wife Mary (Stanzel), son Markus who lives in Boone with wife Cathy and children Nevaeh, Aaliyah, and Jordan, and daughter Christine Griswold who lives Des Moines with husband Ross and daughters Lizzy and Thorne. Other survivors are sisters Beverly Farlow and Virginia (Richard) Portillo of the Rochester, MN area and brother Virgil (Jacci) Farlow of Aurora, NY as well as many nieces and nephews, Masonic brothers, and friends.
A Visitation will be held on Friday, March 25th from 6 – 8 pm at the West Des Moines United Methodist Church, 720 Grand Ave, West Des Moines. A Masonic Memorial Ceremony will follow at 8 pm. A celebration of life will be held at the church on Saturday at 1 pm, with burial to follow at the Masonic Cemetery in Des Moines. Memorials may directed to a charity of your choice in Will’s honor. Please go here to view the online streaming of the service, also you will be able to view the service in the future, the link remains available.
