From Harvey Girl to Heavenly Benefactor

From 1936 until 1939 Mary Rosina “Rose” Farschon of St. Joseph parish in Slaton worked at the Harvey House in that railroad town as one of the “Harvey Girls” made famous in the 1946 MGM musical by that name starring Judy Garland.  But it was not until her death in spring of 2008 at the age of ninety-two that the general public learned something much more important about Mrs. Farschon than her Harvey House connection.  That something was the extent of her splendid generosity, and that of her husband William H. “Bill”, to the Catholic Church in the Lubbock Diocese.

A probate of her will revealed that Mrs. Farschon had left an estate worth more than $1.2 million.  Specifically, she designated certain amounts of her estate to her family, friends, and long-time caregivers who meant so much to her during her lifetime.  She also left $50,000 each to St. Joseph Catholic Church, St. Joseph Catholic School, and the Mercy Retreat Center.  During her lifetime, she had purchased gift annuity contracts from the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers and from the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity in amounts of $100,000 each, and had also remembered the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers with an additional bequest of $50,000 in her will.  Lastly, she left the residual of her estate in the amount of $750,000 to the Catholic Foundation Inc. of the Diocese of Lubbock.

Where all this money came from constitutes one of the most intriguing and inspiring aspects of the bequests made by Rose and Bill Faschon.  A career railroader, Bill Faschon had inherited some money and several rental houses from his sisters.  Through a long life of simple living, Mr. and Mrs. Farschon had amassed a sizeable nest egg by the time of her death this year.  But the Farschons were not merely frugal; they were also very generous.  This rare combination seems to prompt God to be especially generous to his children.

Bill was born December 20, 1906 in Boerne, Texas and moved to Slaton in 1914.  He attended Slaton schools and on November 15, 1939, he married Rose Hielers in Slaton.  His service at the Santa Fe Railroad included as an operator/clerk and he retired as a train dispatcher after 48 years of service in 1941.  Rose was born May 23, 1915 in Lawrence, Kansas, and lived in Stratton, Nebraska.  She moved to Slaton in 1936.

Those who knew Bill Farschon speak of him as “a prince of a guy who was very generous.”  He was the type of fellow who loved to give candy away at Christmas and who always had a new joke to tell.  Rose Faschon was described by her long-time friends and sometime caregivers, Robert and Rosemarie Hurst of Slaton, as a “special, sparkly, beautiful, classy lady who was thankful for her many blessings.”  

Richard Edwards, the Farschons’ estate attorney, saw clearly in their lives frugal living and generous giving.  “By living carefully and giving generously,” he remarks, “God just blessed them.”  Both Bill and Rose were long-time active and faithful members of St. Joseph Church.  Rose was a member of the Lady’s Altar Society and a charter member of the St. Joseph’s Catholic Daughters.  Unable to have children of their own, Rose and Bill Farschon for many years worked with, counseled and sponsored the youth of St. Joseph’s parish. 

The Farschons lived lives as generous stewards.  They loved the Lord and his Church and were deeply devoted and loving toward one another.  They knew that true happiness comes not from what we have, but from what we share, not from making the most money and keeping it, but from understanding that everything we have is a gift from a God who delights when his children follow his lead in generous giving and truthful living.

Regarded as a perfectly matched and ideal loving couple, the Farschons also had great love for their Church.  Friends remember Mr. Farschon as saying more than once that his marriage to Rose, which lasted sixty-two years, “took” the first time.  They also recall Mrs. Farschon’s famous “formula for a good marriage”: “Pick the right one and know when to keep your mouth shut.”  Mr. and Mrs. Farschon went everywhere together.  And now, almost exactly five years after Bill went home to the Lord, his beloved and devoted Rose has followed him.   Her survivors include her sisters, Leona Haller of Stratton, Nebraska, and Irene Gibson of McCook, Nebraska and several nieces and nephews.