Thomas E. Farr,

60 ­ honored leader in the Fayette County business community, executive

vice-president and chief operating officer of Peachtree National Bank,

elder at First Presbyterian Church in Peachtree City, Rotarian ­

died at his home Wednesday, apparently of natural causes.

Peachtree City

Public Information Officer Betsy Tyler said flags on city property have

been lowered to half-staff and will remain that way until sunset Saturday.

"He's

been an outstanding citizen in our city for years. He served 17 years

on the Development Authority," Tyler said.

The funeral

service will be 11 a.m. Saturday, July 13, at the First Presbyterian Church

of Peachtree City. Complete arrangements and survivors follow in this

story.

Farr and his

father, W.F. Farr, better known as Floy, represent generations of movers

and shakers in the Fayette community. The family, planted in Georgia by

James Oglethorpe, shows up on the oldest Fayette tax records and in the

Army of the Confederacy.

In a 2000 interview,

Floy Farr said his son Tom was born "in the back of the doctor's

office in Fayetteville." He was raised in Tyrone where the elder

Farr, a banker, virtually presided over the business community and helped

fund the establishment of Peachtree City.

Tom Farr graduated

from Fayette County High School and from the University of Georgia. He

earned his master's degree at Georgia State.

Executive vice

president and chief operating officer of Peachtree National Bank, Farr

was well-known for his work on local authorities. He was past-chair of

the Peachtree City Development Authority and chair of the Fayette Community

Hospital Authority, and past vice-chair of Fayette County's Development

Authority.

He also served

the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce as treasurer and was elected the

chamber's Fayette County Business Person of 1994. He was a graduate of

the Regional Leadership Institute.

Fellow employees

of Peachtree National honored him with the designation of Employee of

the Year for 2001. He was with the bank since September, 1994, and was

on its board of directors when he died.

Bank president

Ronald Duffey described him as a godsend who did all the analyzing of

the numbers and oversaw financial information in the running of the bank,

but was so much more.

"He was

the single most honest and dependable person I've ever known," Duffey

said. "We were a team; we thought so much alike. I'll never, never

be able to replace him. He's the only person I've ever let speak for me.

I never once second-guessed anything he did."

Farr's close

friend and colleague, Fayette Realtor Jim Fulton, said Farr was "the

last guy to want recognition ... When Tom took over [leadership of] the

development authority, we built and ran the [Frederick Brown, Jr.] amphitheater

and the tennis center. Everything he did was from the heart and for the

good of the community and not for public recognition.

"He's

the perfect example of the servant-leader," Fulton continued. "Just

say that he was a great friend, and many of the businesses of Peachtree

City owe their existence to him. If you stuck your head in his office

to say hello, you'd come out an hour later ­ he never too busy to

talk to you."

Farr is survived

and his parents, Floy and Bruce Farr, all of Peachtree City; and his brother

and sister-in-law, Sonny and Pat Farr, of Santa Fe, N.M.

The funeral

will be tomorrow (Saturday) at 11 a.m. at his church on Willowbend Road

in Peachtree City. The Rev. Dr. Don Smith will lead the service, which

will include tributes by Joel Cowan, former Mayor Robert Lenox, and Sonny

Farr.

The body will

lie in state from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the church. Visitation is this

evening (Friday), 6 to 8 p.m., at Mowell Funeral Home on Robinson Road

in Peachtree City, and interment will be at Westminster Memorial Gardens.

Memorial contributions

may be directed to the Fayette Community Foundation, P.O. Box 2594, Peachtree

City, or to the giver's favorite charity.

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