James Edward Farmer

Posted on February 25, 2026

James Edward Farmer, 93, passed away on Feb. 18, 2026, in Thomasville, Ga. James, better known to his friends as “Jim,” and to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren as “PaPaw,” was born in Memphis, Tenn., on Oct. 15, 1932, to James Monroe and Annie Clarice Farmer. Jim graduated from Memphis State University Dawson Street Baptist Church in Thomasville at 2 p.m. with Lee Waller James Edward Farmer in 1954 with a degree in chemistry. Shortly after he graduated, he married the love of his life, Mary Jo Barnett. He and Mary Jo were lovingly and devotedly married for 63 years until she passed in 2017. Early in their marriage, Jim served in the Army from 1954 to 1956. After his discharge, he worked for Procter and Gamble in Memphis as a chemist. In 1967, the company moved his role to the Buckeye paper mill in Perry, where he and Mary Jo would spend the next 50 years as active members of the community. In total, Jim spent 37 years at Buckeye, retiring in 1990 to spend more time with his family and newborn grandchild. Jim was a man of great faith, serving as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, choir member and in many other roles at First Baptist Church of Perry, until he moved, and then was an active and dedicated member of the Dawson Street Baptist Church in Thomasville. He was an avid outdoors man who enjoyed spending time hunting, fishing, tending to his vegetable garden and working in his wood shop. Jim was a beloved parent, grandparent and great-grandparent who loved his family with all his heart. He spent much of his retirement years spending time with his family, attending countless sporting events, school plays, graduations, birthdays and other occasions both big and small. In 2016, Jim and Mary Jo moved to Thomasville to be closer to family, where they both lived until the end of their days. Jim was reunited in death with his parents, James and Clarice; his sister, Betty; his wife, Mary Jo; and his eldest son, Steve. He is survived by: his son, David (Mary) Farmer of Thomasville; his grandchildren, Sarah (Bobby) Fisher of Statesboro, Ga., and James (Stefanie) Farmer of Atlanta, Ga.; and his great-grandchildren, Maddie Jo and Ella James Fisher. Funeral services were held Sunday, Feb. 22, at officiating. visitation Family and viewing began at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of f lowers, donations can be made in his honor to Dawson Street Baptist Church or the American Kidney Fund. Arrangements are by Burns Funeral Home of Perry, Florida. Gone, but never forgotten.