The community of Leedey and the B.I.S.O.N. Mentoring program
suffered a huge loss a few weeks ago.
Ted Fariss passed away January 9th at M.D. Anderson Hospital
in Houston, Tx. Ted was recently
diagnosed with Leukemia and was there seeking treatment when his Savior called
him home. Ted is survived by his wife,
Robetha, who is our B.I.S.O.N. Mentor of the Year this year, as well as
Valerie, his daughter and Monty, his son.
Ted and Robetha were one of the first adults to volunteer for our
mentoring program last year and their support and involvement has been
incredible. Ted was a man of great
character with a quiet, yet very strong spirit.
He was often a calming force in stressful situations that might cause
other people to get radical and lose their wits. Ted was matched with Tony Hahn, an 8th
grader here at Leedey. When Ted first
became sick at the beginning of this school year, he regretfully told Tony that
he wouldn’t be able to mentor him until he felt better. Our mentoring board then met and asked Tony
if he wanted to be re-matched, Tony replied, “No, I’ll just wait for Ted.” One of Tony’s best memories of Ted was the
time they went to an OSU men’s basketball game in Stillwater. Tony expressed that the day was so much fun,
and he really appreciated the opportunity to get to go and spend it with
Ted. We are saddened by the loss of this
gentle giant of a man, but we know that his spirit of doing the right thing
will live on with his children, grandchildren, and perhaps even Tony. Thank-you Ted Fariss for being a part of this mentoring program.
