September 27, 1930 – April 20, 2023
On April 20, 2023, Keith Doyle Farrand passed away in Westfield at the age of 92. Keith was born to Golda Marie Lovell Farrand and Edward Doyle Farrand on September 27, 1930, in Goshen, Ind. He married his wife of 48 years, Sonya Loschky Farrand, on November 3, 1974.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Roland Farrand; and son, Mark David (Bevin) Farrand. He is survived by his son, Brinton (Claire) Farrand of Cicero; son, Bruce Farrand of Bloomington; daughter-in-law, Bevin Farrand of Delaware, Ohio; and seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, Audrey (Phil) Lash, Cody Farrand, Markeus (Katherine) Farrand, Jackie Farrand, Guinevere Farrand, Johnathan Keith Farrand, Mirastela Farrand, Kerrigan Lash, and Emery Lash.
Keith was an avid Purdue fan and a lifelong Boilermaker, having graduated from Purdue with a B.S. and an M.S. in Education (’53, ‘54). He was a North Central High School teacher, Physical Education Department Chairman, and the wrestling coach for 27 years, retiring in 1988. With a record of 263 wins, 66 losses, and four ties, the Panthers won three Marion County Championships, 10 Sectionals, six Regionals, and had two State Runner-up teams. He coached 10 individual State Champions, including the first Wrestling State Champion for North Central.
Prior to North Central he also taught at Crawfordsville High School, coming from Purdue where he wrestled on the varsity team in 1953, and founded the Wabash College Wrestling team. At Wabash his first team was 3-0, defeating Notre Dame and Indiana Central twice.
He was inducted into the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1976 and the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1984. He attended at least 50 NCAA Wrestling finals with fellow coaches, friends, and family. His wrestling family met in 2021 to honor Keith at his home, looking at all his team records and reminiscing.
Keith also loved flying. He learned to fly when he was 14 and helped ferry military planes in northern Indiana during World War II. Later he owned his own planes and was able to go flying on his 90th birthday.
Keith and Sonya resided in Cicero for 48 years and raised their son Mark there. In retirement, Keith was an Assistant Coach for the Hamilton Heights Wrestling Team and enjoyed the lake life. Their family loved spending time with them on their boat and had many happy family gatherings at their home. He will be greatly missed.
The funeral will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 30 at the Noblesville First United Methodist Church, 2051 Monument St., Noblesville. A visitation will follow at the church with light refreshments. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association or the Lupus Foundation of America, 2121 K St. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20037.
Arrangements are being made by Hartley Funeral Home in Cicero. You may leave condolences at hartleyfuneralhomes.com.