Final Salute

Pat Hunter Farris passed away on May 17, 2020, at his Villa Marin home in San Rafael, California. He was 88 years old. In his last days, with family by his side, he continued to tell his famous tales of a life filled with adventure and lived to the fullest.

Pat was born in a log cabin in Winchester, Tennessee, on January 9, 1932. He was the ninth of ten children born to John and Mary Emma (Bryant) Farris. While Pat was still an infant, his family left Tennessee for California, settling in Avila Beach and establishing businesses that included boat building, commercial fishing, party fishing boats, a fish market, and a sea food café. The Farris family was very self-sufficient. In addition to running the family businesses, they farmed 14 acres in Avila and ate what they grew, raised, or caught. Pat’s father would drive to the Valley to buy an entire orchard of fruit that Pat and his brothers then harvested for their mother to can. Pat learned to work with his hands from a young age; he worked beside his father and older brothers learning to be a farmer, a mechanic, a fisherman, and a builder. Before his teens, he had his radio license and could navigate and skipper a fishing boat on his own while four of his older brothers were away serving in WW II. He attended Avila School, San Luis Obispo High School, and Long Beach City College. Pat loved growing up in Avila Beach with the ocean as his front yard and the mountains as his backyard, and he fondly told many stories of what it was like to be a child from a very large family in a very small California beach town in the 1930s and 1940s.

During the Korean War, Pat proudly served in the Seabees. Because of his building experience, he was given responsibilities at Subic Bay beyond his rank, while continuing to learn even more techniques in heavy construction. After discharge, he married his hometown sweetheart, Janet Christian. Pat and Janet settled in San Luis Obispo and had three children. Pat’s career took him from being a general contractor in San Luis Obispo, where he designed and built many houses, to being Chief Building Inspector and Project Manager for the Port of San Francisco, building harbors and piers. After retiring from the Port, he and Janet moved from San Rafael, where they raised their children, back to Avila Beach. Pat almost singlehandedly built their retirement home in Avila, along with the coveted fishing boat he had always envisioned. He christened his boat, “Inspector.” In addition to building a house and a boat, Pat was a commercial fisherman in his retirement. He was also elected Harbor Commissioner for Port San Luis, where he served 8 years, giving back to the town he so loved.

Pat loved to be around people, telling his fish stories to buddies at the local coffee shop, avidly playing competitive cribbage, and generally being the life of the party. His happiest times involved gatherings with family and friends with tri-tips sizzling on an oak pit barbeque and a cold beer in hand. Family was everything to him. Pat is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years — Janet (Christian) Farris; his three children — Michael Farris, Janelle (Farris) Lewis (David), and Linda (Farris) Hamza (Mohammed); his six grandchildren — Jackie Farris, Amy (Lewis) Hormann (Erik), Miles Lewis, Will Lewis, Farris Hamza, and Ben Lewis; his two great-grandsons — Elias Hormann and Oliver Hormann; and numerous nieces and nephews. Pat was preceded in death by his parents and nine siblings. In honor of Pat Farris, raise a glass, tell some stories, and toast a life well lived.