Yvonne Laurent Farley

Yvonne Laurent Farley (92) passed away peacefully at home with family present on Sunday, November 15, 2015 in Candler, NC. She was born on October 3, 1923, in Twin Falls, Idaho. She went to school there until she was 9 years old, when she, her mother and younger sister, moved to Los Angeles, CA. Yvonne was given a scholarship to study art on a childs level under the art director of the City of Los Angeles in the 5th and 6th grades. Yvonne went to LA City College for 2 years, majored in sociology and minored in French. She worked for Brooks Brothers in downtown Los Angeles for 3-4 years, where she modeled a womens blazer for Cary Grant, talked with Clark Gable, and saw other movie stars. In 1954 she moved to Riverside, CA and began working as a medical secretary for Dr. Stanley Farley, a urologist in Riverside. She worked for Dr. Farley until they married in November, 1965. They enjoyed traveling to many countries, including England, Netherlands, Germany, Luxemburg, Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Israel. She observed beauty in her surroundings, and enjoyed studying nature, history, art, and her Bible. After her husband died in 1981, Yvonne attended the University of California at Riverside for four years, and earned a certificate in calligraphy. She started her own calligraphy business, Victoria Scriptorium. She signed diplomas and certificates for University of California at Riverside, and did calligraphy for Riverside Community College, for Baron Erik de Rothchildes wine tasting events in Hollywood and Bordeaux, France, and for many others. As computer printing became more popular and there was less need for hand-written calligraphy, Yvonne then became interested in the hobby of miniatures (1/12 scale dollhouses), and joined the Los Angeles Miniature Society. She took many classes in miniatures, started her own collection, and learned to create intricate needlepoint rugs, tiny porcelain flowers, etc. for miniature room boxes and dollhouses. She was an artist. In September, 2009, Yvonne moved to Candler, NC to live near her niece, Gail MacAlpine and her husband, Dr. Robert MacAlpine. She attended Foster Seventh-day Adventist Church, and enjoyed attending a weekly womens Bible study group. Yvonne is survived by her niece, Gail Y. MacAlpine (Candler, NC), and nephew, Donald W. Anderson, Jr (Windsor, CA). She was predeceased in death by her sister, Yvadne J. Anderson (1992). A memorial service will be held at Foster Seventh-day Adventist Church (375 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, NC 28803) on Saturday, December 26 at 2:00pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Yvonne Farley Memorial Fund at Foster SDA Church.