Local philanthropist connects with newfound family
At 98, Oakley Farris, Northern Kentucky’s extraordinary philanthropist, still knows how to draw a crowd.
Farris has spent his hard-earned wealth, giving back to his adopted hometown with flair and generosity to honor the love of his life, Eva, to whom he was married for 72 years and for whom he honored in life with an excess of $10 million in charitable donations in her honor. Eva died at age 103 in September. Together, they built their modest start in Covington. Farris was a traveling salesman for a notions company and, with Eva’s guidance, started purchasing rental properties—growing to more than 120 apartments—and amassed their wealth. They were an extraordinary love story and created an amazing legacy.
For Farris, however, a new kind of story would emerge.
In the wake of Eva’s death, he learned—quite by happenstance—that he had a son he never knew existed. And that son was a great citizen of Northern Kentucky, former head of Vision 2020 (renamed Skyward), Bill Scheyer.
You just can’t make this stuff up.
Farris made this connection as a fluke, by not wanting to be left out of the fun when he heard about 23andMe, an online biotech company that traces your heritage through DNA. That lark revealed relatives he knew nothing about, and his friend Mike Hammons made the connections that led him to Scheyer. Both had subsequent tests that proved Farris was Scheyer’s biological father.
It turns out that Farris met Scheyer’s mother as a young, unattached man at a church in Covington. He went his own way and she married Scheyer’s father whom she divorced when he was a small boy.
Both men were beyond surprised and have embraced the opportunity to get to know each other.
As Farris said, “I could have ended up with an ax murderer or a bum, but I gained a wonderful son and I am absolutely enjoying getting to know him.”
Scheyer says the two of them “are feeling a kinship” and are enjoying the newfound relationship. “We are happy and confident of the lives we’ve had, in the people we know and love, and neither of us would change any of that.”
A few news briefs from NKY:
– Covington Business Council will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year and will honor another NKY legendary leader, Jack Moreland, with its Founder Award.
– Turfway opened its new racing and gaming facility. The Florence facility will offer live racing as well as daily gaming on 850 machines in glitzy surroundings. It is now owned by Churchill Downs, which also owns its sister facility in Newport.
– Suits that Rock moved its annual fundraiser for the Carnegie to the MegaCorp Pavilion (formerly PromoWest) at the majestic OVATION. They played to a packed crowd and raised over $175,000 that will support arts for children in NKY.
– It’s the 150th anniversary of the Purple People Bridge. The hope is that the Southbank Bridge Company can complete the funding required to repaint it.
– Village Players of Fort Thomas are undertaking a public capital campaign to renovate its home, the iconic Fort Thomas Woman’s Club, to turn it into the Fort Thomas Cultural Arts Center with a theater, gallery and rental space that can hose theater, music and visual arts classes for all ages.
– Another NKY icon, Tom DiBello, has retired after 46 years with Covington’s Center for Great Neighborhoods. He, too, leaves his mark: a legacy of selfless service and big shoes to fill.
