Kimberly Marie Farley

Kimberly Marie “Kim” (Brendahl) Farley died at the age of 60 on the morning of Thursday, January 12, 2017 following a courageous 5 month battle with cancer. As she did with everything in her life, Kimberly faced her illness with an amazing grace and dignity. She passed peacefully in her home and in the loving arms of her best friend, soul mate and husband of 33 years, Daniel.

Beloved wife, daughter, sister, niece, aunt and friend, Kimberly was born in Lansing, MI to Virgil (deceased) and Joyce (McKenzie) Brendahl on January 17, 1956 (the same birth date as “Grandpa” Floyd and Benjamin Franklin, as she liked to remind us). Kim lived her entire life in Lansing, graduating from Eastern High School in 1974. She earned an Associate’s Degree in Library and Media Technology from Lansing Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Michigan State University and, ultimately, a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from Wayne State University.

Kim spent her entire professional career as an employee of Lansing Community College, during which time she worked in the LCC Library. In her role as Library Instruction Coordinator Kim collaborated closely with faculty members from all across campus. It was here that she forged lifelong relationships that transcended the workplace … her LCC friends and colleagues became her “second family”. In addition to her work as an Instructional Services Librarian, Kim also worked for many years in the LCC Advising Center as an Academic Advisor, a role that brought her great pleasure. As all of her nieces and nephews (and students in the neighborhood!) can attest, Kim was passionate about LCC students and devoted her life to helping them succeed in realizing their hopes and dreams. In the spring of 2016, just before her illness was diagnosed, Kim was honored by Lansing Community College for her 40 years of distinguished service.

Beyond the family and friends that she so cherished, Kimberly simply loved her life. Her favorite hobby was photographing this life and a camera was never far from her hands at any event with family or friends. She would meticulously catalog and assemble these photos into beautiful, thoughtful books … collections of memories. Countless happy hours were spent at home, glass of wine in hand and the family terrier Pinot at her feet, as she lovingly organized these memories of life for all to share.

In no particular order, Kimberly also loved:

Sunlight, “Murder, She Wrote” reruns, colors (remember “Color Me Beautiful”?), antiquing road trips with Dan, gardening, PBS, seasonally redecorating the mantle, musicals, Vampire lore, candy, a good book (“nothing dramatic … I read for pleasure”), Spartan football games and tailgates, accessorizing her wardrobe for all Holidays, lunches with “the girls”, comedies, the family 4th of July party, feeding the birds, art fairs in the Summer and taking Pinot for walks around the neighborhood. There was a very special place in her heart for the Black River property in northern Michigan on the beaches of Lake Huron where she and Dan built the lake house of their dreams, which was finally completed in the spring of 2016.

Kimberly will always be remembered by those who knew her as a beautiful, thoughtful, kind, patient, witty, courageous, graceful, creative, fun, intelligent, honest, dignified, loyal and loving human being. Surviving to cherish her memory are husband Daniel, mother Joyce, sisters Kelley Brendahl and Kristine (Jason) Mayhew, uncles Roger (Denise) McKenzie and Mike Newman, sisters-in-law Deloris (Frank) Cross and Evelin (Richard) Ledebuhr and many other loving cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and countless dear friends. (A special mention goes out to nephews Zachary and Mackenzie and niece Rebecca).

Preceding Kimberly in death were her father, Virgil Brendahl, aunt Jeannette (McKenzie) Newman, mother-in-law Hildegard (Kleiner) Farley and father-in-law Frederick Farley.

A gathering of family and friends to celebrate Kimberly’s life will be held at a later date. In keeping with her dedication to students, a LCC Foundation scholarship has been established in Kim’s memory to assist LCC students with financial need. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the Kimberly Farley Memorial Scholarship may do so by visiting www.lcc.edu/farleyscholarship.