Obituary of Jensie E. Farrar

Jensie Eleanor Farrar died peacefully Wednesday, July 17, 2013, in the Hospice Inn at St Peter's Hospital, Albany, NY. She had lived courageously with cancer for the last couple years. Jensie was born in Portsmouth, Virginia and was known as Eleanor (for Eleanor Roosevelt). Despite a difficult childhood, Jensie became a very happy, loving, generous and caring woman. She had an irrepressible and contagious love of life and leaves behind a legacy of unbounded exuberance, good will and good humor. She was a beloved figure in her Brooks Brother clothing and her Burberry hats. Jensie's love of learning was such that during her elementary school years, she made the six mile round trip to school on foot each day. As a teenager, she memorized the entire Old and New testaments. She was interviewed due to her intellectual prowess. Possessed of a genius IQ, Jensie was good at whatever she did and held a wide variety of jobs. She often worked two or three jobs at a time. She was especially proud of having been a credentialed addictions counselor. Jensie considered her job as the personal assistant to impresario Sam Niefeld, Vice President of Columbia Artists Management, Inc. as " the best job" she ever had. In that capacity, she had the opportunity to work with soprano Kathleen Battle. Jensie also served as the personal assistant to Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, the highly acclaimed international opera singer. She loved working for the Albany Public Library system from which she retired in 2006. Jensie's greatest genius was that of making long-lasting friends of all ages. She particularly enjoyed children. The family of countless friends that she leaves behind are very grateful to have known her and will hold her in their hearts forever. She was the self appointed goodwill ambassador of the Lark Street area, knowing many of the retailers and restauranteurs of whom she was enormously fond. Jensie enjoyed living in the Center Square neighborhood and loved her residence at the 'ever fashionable' on Willett Street, filled to overflowing with her collection of artwork and frogs. In addition to her love of people, Jensie loved flowers, gardening, literature, movies, television, pop culture, walking, and art - especially anything by Georgia O'Keefe. Jensie was also a gifted photographer who delighted in capturing images of Mother's Earth's bounty wherever she went, gleefully anticipating the arrival of the tulips each spring in Washington Park. She is survived by her brother, Marvin Tyron Brewer of Peekskill, NY and her family of friends throughout the United States and Ireland. Jensie's family of friends is grateful to Dr. Theodore Zeltner, her primary care physician, for whom Jensie had great respect, love and gratitude and to the wonderful, skilled, caring staff at The Hospice Inn. In honor of Jensie's request, there will be no wake or funeral. Donations, in her honor, can be made to her favorite charity, The Next Step and to The Hospice Inn at St Peter's Hospital. To share memories please visit www.simplechoicescremation.com