Farison Family

George Washington Farison was born February 27, 1891, in Flatrock Township, Henry County, Ohio, to William Henry and Etta (Moore) Farison. He was the grandson of Uriah and Mary Ann (Stauber) Farison, and the great-grandson of William and Elizabeth (Fox) Farrison who came from Pennsylvania to Ohio in the early 1800's.

Recent research of birth records in the Henry County Courthouse reveal that George's name and one of his sisters was spelled with two 'r's' rather than one 'r'. This variation in the spelling of surnames was due to the fact that spelling was left to the interpretation of the Recorder, as many people of that era were illiterate. However, even today, the name Farison is often spelled either way by those unfamiliar with the one 'r' spelling.

George was one of eleven children. His brothers were Charles Henry, Na?

George W. Farison, 1968 Joan McLean Farison, 1968

poleon; William Earl, Napoleon; Ray 0., Napoleon; Donald B., Oakland, California; Maynard (Babe), Chicago, Illinois, deceased; and Richard D., deceased. His sisters were Clara E. Sumner, Chicago, Illinois, deceased; Bess Mattlin, Toledo, Ohio, deceased; Gladys, deceased; and Dorothy, twin of Donald, deceased in infancy.

As a young man, George went to Chicago and found employment as a milkman. While there, he met Joan MacLean and they were married on June 5, 1918. After their marriage, they resided in Napoleon for about a year and then returned to Chicago.

Their only child, Robert, was horn on September 5, 1921. At this point, George acquired the nickname "Pop" (from his brothers) — and that name was used by his family and close friends throughout his lifetime.

George continued as a milkman for about seventeen years using the old horse and wagon delivery. He then bought a small neighborhood restaurant and tavern called "The Shack" in 1936. Joan would help at times in the kitchen when needed, but she did not serve liquor because of her strict Scottish upbringing. Her main job was the bookkeeping.

The business was sold in 1952 and George and Joan moved to Rantoul, Illinois to manage a new, twenty-one room motel for about three years. The motel was then sold and they returned to Chicago where they purchased an ice cream parlor called "The Sugar Bowl."

"The Sugar Bowl" was sold in 1960, at which time they left Chicago for California to live near their son Bob and his family who had moved to Sacramento in 1959. Although retired, George kept active, working part time at various jobs as a miniature golf course employee, maintenance man at a bowling alley, and groundskeeper for a large shopping center.

In 1966, George and Joan moved to Arizona, where Bob and his family now resided in Phoenix. George, as usual, would not retire, and found a job with a self-service gas station.

On June 5, 1968, George and Joan celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in Los Angeles, California, at the home of a niece. Present for the occasion were their son Bob, his wife, grandsons, nieces, nephews, old friends and Joan's only living sister, Marre Caldwell. Later, that summer, they attended the Farison Family Reunion and relatives hosted a fiftieth wedding anniversary party for them in Napoleon.

Their son, Robert George Farison, attended Mt. Vernon Elementary School and Tilden Technical High School, Chicago, Illinois, where he majored in Auto and Aircraft Engines. Piror to Pearl Harbor, Bob enlisted in the Army Air Corp and was stationed in Rantoul, Illinois where he graduated as an Aircraft Mechanic. Subsequently, during World War II, he served in Panama, Trinidad, Surinam, 5.A., and China. He was discharged with the rank of Staff Sergeant in 1945. After the war, he worked for his father in the family restaurant and tavern business.

Robert and Lillian (Babe) Scheuermann married October 16, 1948 in the Methodist Church where they met while members of a young adult group. Until the birth of their first son, she worked as a secretary for a distributor for the Celotex Corporation.

A son, Scott Robert Farison, was born on November 1, 1949. At this time, Bob had left the family business and was employed as a carpenter.

A second son, Mark Edward Farison, was born on February 5, 1955. During this period, Bob worked for the Ford Aircraft Engine Division as an inspector and later quality control engineer.

In 1959, Bob and his family moved west to Sacramento, California where he was employed as a quality control engineer by the Aerojet General Corporation, where liquid rocket engines were made for the Titan rockets that lifted the first astronauts into space.

A new job with Goodyear Aerospace in 1966, necessitated a move to Phoenix, Arizona, where he is currently employed. Since 1974, Babe has worked as a personnel interviewer with Sears, Roebuck & Company.

Scott attended elementary schools in Chicago, Illinois and Sacramento, California. He graduated from Cortez High School in Phoenix, Arizona. He then attended Glendale Community College, majoring in art.

Mary Alice Warren and Scott were married August 26, 1973 in Phoenix. Currently, Scott is employed as a classified advertising salesman for the Phoenix Newspapers and Mary Alice is a certified ophthalmic medical assistant technician. They are expecting their first child in February, 1979.

Mark attended elementary schools in Sacramento, California and Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated from Cortez High School in Phoenix. He graduated from Arizona State University in 1977 and is now employed as a mathematics teacher and baseball coach at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix.

George had a heart attack and passed away while working at the service station on February 10, 1973, seventeen days short of his eighty- second birthday. This was the way he would have had it — active right to the end!

Joan maintained her own home for several years, and then went to live in "The Beatitudes", a retirement home which she always said was "like living in a fancy hotel." After a short illness, she passed away October 6, 1977, at the age of eighty-five.

At the time of their deaths, George and Joan were creamted. On August 5, 1978, they were laid to rest in Cole Cemetery, Flatrock Township. Their burial coincided with the seventy- fourth Farison Family Reunion held August sixth and attended by the Robert Farison family. George and Joan both enjoyed life and people. This was reflected in George's choice of jobs — always working with the public, and Joan's love of giving parties and long and faithful correspondence with her friends and relatives all over the country.

Submitted by: Robert G. Farison