Written by Carly Kester; Kylie Akins
Many remember him as the dedicated and selfless the father of the medical mission in the churches of Christ. They recall how he grew older but his diligence to work in Nigeria every year never diminished. Dr. Henry Farrar, even at the age of 83, continued to work as a consulting doctor at the Carthage General Hospital in Carthage, Tenn., and a mentor to aspiring medical missionaries.
Farrar’s death came unexpectedly after he suffered a fall on Wednesday, Feb. 17. He passed away early the next Monday morning, Feb. 22.
Farrar, Harding board member and practicing doctor, was born Dec. 30, 1926, in Nashville, Tenn. He is survived by his wife, Grace; six children, Paul, Martha, David, Hank Jr., Lee and Samantha; and two grandchildren.
He attended Harding in 1946 for two years and completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Tennessee in 1950. After finishing an internship, governmental service and medical residency, he moved to Nigeria with his wife and five children in 1964 into a population of over 100,000 Ibo people who lacked medical care.
Farrar and his family lived in Nigeria for four years, where he established the Nigerian Christian Hospital. They were forced to evacuate due to the Nigerian-Biafran War, a three-year civil war. In 1970, Farrar went back to Nigeria for three more years to reestablish the hospital until he returned to the U.S. in 1973.
Farrar had returned to the Nigerian Christian Hospital annually since 1975. He had also done work in Tanzania, China, Searcy and Lebanon, Tenn.
Farrar’s compassion and servant-like spirit were apparent to everyone he encountered. According to Dr. Glenn Boyd, President Emeritus of IHCF African Christian Hospitals, he was revered not only by people in the U.S. but in Africa as well.
Boyd recalled a time in Nigeria when Farrar helped a man with malaria by taking the time to bathe him, giving him shots and letting him sleep in his own bed until the man was able to function.
“He loved the Nigerian people, and they loved him,” Boyd said. “I got an e-mail today from a friend saying he was a legend in Nigeria and that everybody knew him.”
Janice Bingham, Associate Professor of Nursing, said that what stood out to her was Farrar’s servant attitude.
“He would work all day and then at the end of the day he would help the people and literally get down on his hands and knees and help them clean the floor,” Bingham said. “He might go over and give a pint of his own blood and bring it back to the patients.”
Boyd said that before Farrar went to surgery, he attended morning devotionals and would give a lesson during that time.
“He often said, ‘I’m a gospel preacher first and then a physician,'” Boyd said.
Chancellor Clifton Ganus commented on Farrar’s hard-working attitude and motivation.
“He would see scores of patients every day and sometimes have three operations in addition,” Ganus said. “Sometimes at night he would go out and preach and on the weekends.”
According to Lisa Burley, Harding E-learning librarian, Farrar wanted to change the world after returning to Searcy. He made the decision to move from Searcy to Lebanon because the White County Hospital was going to be bought by a large company, and he questioned whether the new management would allow him time to go to Africa each year.
Throughout his life, Farrar always kept the mentality of focusing on eternity.
“He reminded me then that his plan was to work until being called to heaven,” Burley said. “I hated to hear about his accident and the injury that he got. But that’s what he wanted. He wanted to work until the day he died, and he was going in to work [when he fell].”
Burley also said that Farrar often used humor to express God’s message to people.
“He was so passionate about communicating God’s love to people that he didn’t care if he looked silly in the process,” Burley said. “He had the best sense of humor. He could turn anything into an odd joke.”
One thing is obvious about Farrar’s character: he was a genuinely caring and influential person who loved life and listening for God’s will.
“I think they broke the mold when they made Dr. Farrar,” Bingham said. “He really was an amazing man … He said he didn’t have to go to Africa. He got to go.”
Friends claim that Farrar always managed to find balance between his spiritual life and his professional life.
“To me he was always a wonderful example of a Christian professional,” Ganus said. “He was a medical doctor, and he emphasized that in his life. But that was a part of his spiritual service as well.”
Ganus said he believed Farrar diligently kept his optimism and looked for the good in people and the impossible.
“The thing I remember about Henry is that he always had a smile on his face,” Ganus said. “He was full of life, bubbling over, always happy. You could say happy warrior, so to speak: warrior in the medical field and spiritual field.”
Two memorials will be held to honor Farrar. The first will be held on Feb. 27, at 2:30 p.m. at College Hills Church of Christ in Lebanon, Tenn. The second will be held in Searcy, Ark., but funeral arrangements have not been made at this time.
