Jean (Jeanne) Alice Farmer passed away peacefully just after 11:00 PM on Monday May 22, 2023, at home in Melbourne, FL with her family by her side.

She was born to the late Earl and Dorothy McDonald in Schenectady, NY on June 28, 1941, and graduated from Linton High School in Schenectady in 1959. After spending a year at Bryant College, Jeanne returned home to Schenectady to help with her father who had fallen ill, and she took a job as a secretary at General Electric. This turned out to be fortuitous – her father made a full recovery, and at GE she met the love of her life and late husband of 55 years, Phillip Farmer.

Phil (a North Carolina native and not a fan of cold weather!) and Jeanne made several moves as Phil's career advanced, including stops in Queens, NY, Princeton, NJ, Sudbury, MA, Ormond Beach, FL, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, and Longwood, FL before finding their dream location in the Melbourne, FL area as Phil settled in as the Chairman and CEO of Harris Corporation. Throughout it all, Jeanne maintained, bought, sold, furnished and decorated 11 homes while raising three children. While this must have been highly stressful, none of her children can ever remember her having a bad day. She was infectiously positive and upbeat, bringing joy to everyone she met and demonstrating unconditional love to her children, grandchildren and great grandchild every hour of every day.

In 1978, Jeanne and Phil fell in love with Hilton Head Island, SC and have maintained a second home there (4 more houses!) for many years. Hilton Head quickly became and remains a cherished family gathering place.

Jeanne was actively engaged with the Garden Club by the Sea, and she loved spending time with her many friends in both Melbourne and Hilton Head. She was a fixture at Melbourne area charity events for many years and giving back to the community gave her great pleasure.
Jeanne is survived by her three children: Steve Farmer and his wife Carol of Ormond Beach, FL; Jeff Farmer and his wife Maureen of Hilton Head Island, SC; and Jennifer Moore and her husband Jaimie of Indialantic, FL. She is also survived by eight grandchildren (Ryan and his wife Taylor, Adam, Logan, Kevin, Dean, Megan and her husband Cameron, Dorsey, and Jake), and two great grandchildren (Bentley and Carson) who all love her dearly.

On the rare occasions when Phil and Jeanne were separated, Phil would identify with the classic Bill Withers song "Ain't No Sunshine (when she's gone)" which became their song. Our days will have a little less sunshine going forward, but we take solace knowing that Jeanne and Phil are together again.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Eastminster Presbyterian Church at 106 N. Riverside Drive, Indialantic, FL. Jeanne was passionate about philanthropy, particularly with causes involving children, animals, and heart health. The family requests that people make donations in support of your favorite local charity in lieu of sending flowers.