Obituary of Farley Jeffrey Ihde

FORT ATKINSON � Farley Jeffrey Ihde, 20, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, in Sanford, ME, where he was recuperating after abdominal surgery.   The beloved son of Jeff and Kathy Ihde, Farley was born on Dec. 6, 1991, at Walt Disney World�s Discovery Island in Orlando, FL. He was a Helping Hands Monkey Helper for the Disabled and arrived at his foster home in Fort Atkinson on Friday, Oct. 20, 1993. In June 2011 Helping Hands decided to medically retire Farley and keep him in the Ihdes� loving care. Established in 1979, Helping Hands Monkey Helpers for the Disabled is a non-profit organization that raises and trains capuchin monkeys to provide daily, in-home assistance to people living with spinal cord injury or other mobility impairments. Farley�s favorite pastimes were getting brushed; snuggling; wrestling, tickling and laughing with his dad; kissing himself in any mirror that came his way; collecting rocks, driftwood and beach glass; going for rides in the car; opening junk mail, and flirting. He loved traveling, especially to Copper Harbor, MI, and Duluth, MN. Farley was a people person. He was part of the Fort Atkinson School District�s music and theatre programs; a �member� of the Marching Band�s drum line and general all-around mascot to all of the Fort Atkinson music and theatre kids. He enjoyed joining his parents when they gave presentations on Helping Hands to service organizations and schools; he especially enjoyed the presentations given to the Fort Atkinson Middle and High School Ag students. Farley is survived by his parents, Jeff and Kathy Ihde of Fort Atkinson; his grandmother, Mary Ihde, of Jefferson; his grandparents, Paul and Grace Bernhard, of Summerdale, AL; aunts and uncles � Jim and Mary Ihde, Brown Deer; Darrell and Cheryl Spink, Merrimac; Susan Romuald, Fond du Lac, and Ann Fields, Summerdale, AL; 17 cousins and cousins-in-law; his �rental family� � the Tom and Kim Schweitzer family of Jefferson and Phoenix, AZ, Rick Schweitzer and David Schweitzer, Fort Atkinson; a very special �aunt,� Nancy Becker, of Fort Atkinson; his lovely �girlfriends�; his many special friends in Fort Atkinson and the community of Copper Harbor, MI; his Duluth families at Lake Superior Magazine and Comfort Suites Canal Park; his Fort Atkinson Community Theatre family and, especially, the hundreds of Fort Atkinson music kids who had been such a great part of his life for the past 16 years. A Celebration of Farley�s Life will be held on Saturday, Feb., 4, 2012, from 10 a.m. to Noon, at Nitardy Funeral Home, 1008 Madison Ave., Fort Atkinson. Words of comfort will be given by the Reverends Bryan Engfer and Bill Beyer of Trinity Lutheran Church, Fort Atkinson. The Ihdes would like to thank the Gemuetlichkeit family, without whom they would not have heard about Helping Hands Monkey Helpers for the Disabled on July 4, 1993. Because of that special group of people, the Ihdes had the remarkable experience of being parents to an extraordinary little person. They would also like to thank Doreen Marchetti of Brockton, MA, their Helping Hands support person. A remarkable friend who was always at the other end of the phone, beginning before Farley even arrived. If desired, memorials may be made in Farley�s name to the Fort Atkinson Music Department, c/o Tom Cook, Fort Atkinson High School, 925 Lexington Blvd., Fort Atkinson, WI 53538.