More detail on this person: ROY WILLIAM "BILL" FARLEY ROY WILLIAM "BILL" FARLEY, 70, of Tampa died Monday at home. A native of Kingsburg, N.J., he moved to Tampa in 1973 from Heidelburg, Germany. He was a Realtor and appraiser, retired Army colonel and member of the West Point Society. He is survived by his wife, Betty; a son, Roy Jr. of Atlanta; three daughters, Anne Stemmerman and Tracey Lynn Farley, both of Tampa, and Elizabeth Haynes of Maggie Valley, N.C.; a brother, Robert of Vero Beach; and a grandson. Mark III Family Funeral Home, Ba y to Bay Chapel, Tampa. Roy W. Farley 1945 Cullum No. 14938 o Aug 22, 1994 o Died in Tampa, FL Interred in West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY Roy William "BIll" Farley was born on 12 November 1923 in Keansburg, New Jersey. One of two sons born to Roy C. and Ruth M. Walker Farley, Bill attended Middletown Township High School. Contact there with Army brats from nearby Fort Hancock kindled an interest in a military career. He attended Millard's Preparatory School in Washington, D.C., and won a competitive Civil Service appointment from Congressman W.C. Sutphin. Bill found Beast Barracks somewhat remarkable but he survived. Problems in plebe Spanish curtailed a potential football career, and later brushes with the Tactical Department generated an intimate knowledge of the Area. Commissioned in the Infantry, he transferred to Armor in 1948 after occupation service in Germany with the 4th Armored Division and then the Constabulary. Stateside assignments included duty as an instructor at the Command & General Staff College and chief, Armor Branch in DCSPER. He attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in 1968 and went through the Senior Aviator Program in 1969 with wings awarded in 1970. Final active duty tours included three years in DCSOPS, 7th Army Headquarters, Heidelberg (1970-73) and two years in DCSOPS, US Readiness Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. After retirement in January 1975, Bill went into real estate sales in Tampa and eventually established his own business as a real estate appraiser (MAI). A major heart attack in November 1991 curtailed his activities but did not prevent him from playing a major role in preparation of USMA 1945 Class Chronicles. At the time of his death, Bill was recovering from a hip replacement. Bill said of his early occupation duty: "In October 1945 I was sent to Germany and wound up assigned to the 4th Armored Division in Bavaria. In early 1946, the division, along with other units, was converted to the U.S. Constabulary. I can still picture General Ernie Harmon, complete with riding breeches and boots and pearl-handled pistols (a la Patton) striding across the stage against a background of the Constabulary emblem in a freezing cold auditorium in Munich. "During my service in the Constabulary, I had more troop command as a second lieutenant than I would later get as captain. Those were the days of 21-year-old first sergeants, currency controls, black markets, and a general deterioration of the moral fiber of the Occupation Army." Bill solved his equipment maintenance problems-an almost total lack of qualified enlisted mechanics-by recruiting German and DP (displaced persons) military mechanics. His in-commission rate soared. In 1952, Bill returned with his family to Europe and was assigned for three years to the 4th Cavalry in Austria. He said of the assignment, "Our mission was border patrol opposite the Soviet troops in their sector of occupied Austria. This period of service is marked in my mind by frequent confrontation with Soviet units. During my three years in the 4th, I served as the Tank Company commander, S-4 and assistant S-3. This was highly satisfactory duty with quality troops and a clear-cut mission." After graduation from C&GSC in 1956, Bill was assigned for three years to the school's faculty. This was followed by the Armed Forces Staff College and a three-year tour as assistant Army attache in Indonesia. After Indonesia, he commanded the 1-34 Tank Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington. Bill noted: "This was the year(s) of the battle group in the Infantry division and the Infantry generals at Lewis never did quite figure out what to do with a tank battalion." Following the Army War College (1964-65) and a year at Combat Development Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, he "was able to finagle an assignment as G-1 with the 4th Infantry and deployed to Vietnam in the late summer of 1966. Following promotion to colonel in October 1966 I served briefly as division chief of staff. I can still remember the words of MG Art Collins when I approached him about the chances of a brigade command. 'Farley, I've got 25 Infantry colonels beating on me for command assignments. If you think I'm going to give one to an Armor colonel, you're sadly mistaken.' "Collins did permit me to look for my own job and, following several months as senior liaision officer to the 9th ROK Division, I completed my 18 months in Vietnam with a seven-month tour as commander of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment-a most satisfactory assignment and one I consider the highlight of my military career." After Vietnam, Bill served as chief of Armor Branch in DCSPER. He welcomed the opportunity to guide and influence the many young Armor officers with whom he came in contact. Bill is survived by his wife, Betty; her daughter Tracey, whom Bill adopted; three children from his first marriage, Elizabeth, Anne and Roy, Jr.; and his brother Robert. Excerpted by Al Neville from Bill Farley's notes on life
Burial information: United States Military Academy Post Cemetery, West Point, NY
This information was last updated 05/07/2018
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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