On Aug. 29, 2015, Chris Farley died at his residence in Arlington, Va. after battling cancer at the age of 72. He was surrounded by family.

Survivors: his wife of 43 years, Adrian Zimmerman Farley; 4 children, Brian Farley and wife Tara Farley of Ann Arbor, Mich., James Christopher III and wife Julie Culley of Arlington, Denise Farley of Boulder, Colo., and John Farley of Washington, DC; 2 grandchildren, Eleanora and Edith Farley of Ann Arbor; a sister, Keven Jones and husband Tom of Phoenix, Ariz.; mother-in-law, Edith S. Zimmerman of Advance; and many nieces and nephews.

He was born in South Boston, Va. on July 5, 1943. His family moved to Princeton, N.J. where he graduated from the Hun School in ’61. He was an excellent baseball, football and basketball player, and passed on his love for baseball and sports to his children. He served in the Army during the Vietnam War, in Thailand as a civil engineer. He returned to the East Coast for studies, and graduated with a degree in economics from George Washington University in 1971. He married Adrian in 1971, and moved to Arlington to begin work at GAO. He worked for GAO for 25 years, and spent another 10 years as a contractor for DOJ. He competed in several MCM marathons and JFK 50 milers in the 1970s and 80s. His passion for running was passed along to his children who are all runners. In 2003, he and Adrian purchased Pacers Running Stores in Alexandria, Va. As president of Pacers, he was most proud to have established a business which brought so much good to the community. He befriended people who shared his values of honesty, integrity, loyalty, and those who had strong family values. A close friend wrote: “I will miss his wit, his skills and his courage. I will miss our many competitions (bridge, poker, golf) our agreements on matters of the heart and soul and disagreements on matters political. His last words to me via email were a lament that we could no longer play golf…’maybe next time around.'” In March 1971 he gave his soon-to-be wife a heart-shaped pin, with a Forget-Me-Not flower inscribed in it. He asked Adrian to always remember him fondly, and to cherish the pin as a symbol of their loving relationship.

His funeral service was held on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 3 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 5533 16th St. N, Arlington, VA 22205.

Memorials: Capital Caring, 950 N. Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA 22203.