January 20, 2024
In Loving Memory ~
We are sad to say that Rudolph (Rudy) Farko passed away on January 20, 2024 at Kootenay Lake Hospital after a brief illness. Rudy was born in Vernon in 1933, making him 90 years old.
Rudy worked in Nelson as a mechanic. He was the last of the original owners at his condo on Second Street in Fairview, moving into the brand-new home with his beloved wife Geraldine (Gerry) in 1980. There, he was the original caretaker and handy man for years. In more recent years the table turned; his condo neighbours became Rudy's carers.
Life was never the same for Rudy after the death of Gerry in 2007, but he adjusted. The Kwans, friends for 40 years, convinced Rudy to join them for a cruise to the Caymans and Belize, surely the trip of a lifetime for a smalltown guy. That old digital camera revealed some great memories. A gentle and supportive friendship formed between Rudy and his condo neighbor Olien Khadikin. Both left alone by the death of a spouse, they leaned on each other in many ways. After he stopped driving, Olien would be the driver, even taking them on a road trip or two. Olien's death, one day before his own, would have devastated him had he known.
Rudy was a regular at Amanda's and at The Hume. It was lunch at Amanda's. At the Hume it was his usual 8:30 breakfast at the General Store Restaurant. He would get around to these places first by car, and then later, he did those runs on his scooter, all the way from Second Street either over the BOB or downtown to the hotel. At the Hume, he was their favorite customer and considered part of the Hume family. Often wearing the Hume baseball cap given to him for his birthday by the Hume crew, he always gave an enthusiastic greeting and hid a little something extra for the staff under his mug. It was not unusual for a guest to cover his meal, just because he was Rudy. It says something that it was his friends at the Hume who sent over a driver one morning in early January to look in on him when Rudy did not show up and did not answer their calls. They really loved that man.
Besides his wife Gerry and his best friend Olien, Rudy was predeceased by his five brothers. He leaves surviving him his sister Linda in Saskatchewan and several nephews and nieces, as well as his friends and neighbours, all who will miss his unique charm.
A man with a gentle nature and a generous heart, Rudy wanted to leave his estate to his best friend Olien, but with her passing, Rudy provided that Osprey Community Foundation will receive his entire estate. It seems fitting that Rudy will leave a permanent legacy to this charitable organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for the residents of the Nelson area, his chosen home.
Rudy will be laid to rest at Nelson Cemetery on April 16 , 2024 at 1 o'clock in the afternoon and everyone is invited.
To leave a personal message of condolence please see Thompson Funeral Service website: https://www.thompsonfs.ca
Service Details
1:00 PM