Obituary

Jean Farkas, born on April 6, 1936, in Buffalo, New York, to Mary Dilletine Carosa and Peter Carosa, both Italian immigrants, passed away peacefully after a courageous three-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

Jean attended public and parochial schools in her early years before going to Immaculata Academy, a Catholic girls’ high school in Hamburg, New York, where she studied Secretarial Science. She began her career as an assistant bookkeeper and secretary for Republic Seal and General Electric in Buffalo, New York.

At the age of 20, in 1956, Jean married Dick Farkas, and their marriage flourished for 64 years until Dick’s passing in 2020. At 21, Jean and Dick welcomed their first child, a daughter named Doria Anne. They later had three sons: Rick, Mike, and Paul Farkas.

The Farkas family moved from New York to California in 1960, residing in Buena Park, La Mirada, and Fullerton before settling in Thousand Oaks in 1970, where they lived for 22 years. Jean was a dedicated homemaker until her youngest son, Paul, started 7th grade. She then resumed her career, working as a secretary and later an executive secretary at Eaton in Westlake Village. In her final months, Jean resided at the Hacienda at Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, California, to be closer to UCSD for medical treatment.

Throughout her life, Jean was deeply involved in her children’s activities, serving as a room mom, assistant Girl Scout leader, Boy Scout mom, and Little League baseball team assistant. As her children grew older, Jean pursued higher education, earning an AA in Liberal Arts from Moorpark Community College.

Upon Dick’s medical retirement, the couple moved to Desert Hot Springs. Jean worked as the office manager for St. Elizabeth of Hungary for three and a half years and was a devoted member of her church community, serving as a Eucharistic minister for the sick from 1965 onward, as well as a lector, choir member, and member of the Ladies Guild. Jean was deeply devoted to her Roman Catholic faith and faithfully participated daily in the 5:00 pm Rosary across America on Relevant Radio.

In addition to her community involvement, Jean also enjoyed gracious entertaining and travel. She had fun exploring the USA, Hungary, South America (including Panama), Mexico, Canada, and Alaska alongside her husband, Dick, as well as other family members and friends. She was known for babysitting her grandchildren, including pets, which allowed her children some time to get away.

In 1997, Jean retired and embraced new hobbies, including playing golf (which she humorously admitted she played poorly) and amateur painting, which she later set aside. Jean cherished her retirement, spending time with family, friends, baking lemon meringue pies, and making Pizzelles. She stayed active with the Putting Club, card groups, and Sit and Stretch groups at MLCC.

A highlight of her later years was a trip to Italy, where she visited her parents’ hometown of Fontecchio near Rome, deepening her appreciation for her Italian immigrant heritage and their hard work to provide a better life for their children.

Jean is survived by her daughter Doria of San Clemente, and her three children, Kyra (and her husband Mike Quinones), Anthony, and Niko; her son Rick Farkas of Thousand Oaks, and his five children, Marlene (and her husband Ben 4Hickok), Shelby, Makenna, Ricky, and Rebecca; her son Mike Farkas of Rancho Santa Fe, his wife Teresita, and their three children, Cristina (and her husband Michael Skiles), Alexander, and Elizabeth; and her son Paul Farkas of Thousand Oaks, his wife Jill, and their two sons, Zack and Owen. She is also survived by nine great-grandchildren: Kadence, Troy, Everly, Rhea, Nora, Ava Jean, Wesley, Rafael, and Annalisa, as well as her brother Paul Carosa. Jean was predeceased by an older sister who died at six months old from pneumonia, her brother Patsy Carosa who also died in April of this year, and her sister Cecilia Carosa DiMaria.

Jean Farkas will be remembered for her devotion to her family and faith, her community spirit, and her resilient and caring nature. Her life was a testament to the values of hard work, love, and faith. She will be dearly missed by all who knew her.