Lives Remembered: Former Woodlawn mayor dies at 78. 'She was a lady of class and dignity' - The Cincinnati Enquirer

Lives Remembered: Former Woodlawn mayor dies at 78. 'She was a lady of class and dignity' - The Cincinnati Enquirer

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Susan Upton-Farley, former mayor of Woodlawn, died April 23, 2020.

 (Photo: Provided/Tracey Artis)

Driving down Reed Hartman Highway and onto Glendale Milford Road on Wednesday – nearly a week after the death of her mother – Tracey Artis smiled. 

"The very road that I am riding on is the fruit of my mother's labor," Artis said she thought.

The road – which runs through Evendale, Woodlawn and Blue Ash – was always flooded when it was just two lanes, Artis said. Her mother, Susan Upton-Farley, worked with Todd Portune to get funding and widen the road, as mayor of Woodlawn. 

It's an example of the countless ways Upton-Farley took care of her community. Artis says her mother was loyal to Woodlawn; her parents moved there in 1945 and she grew up there, stayed until she got married and returned to her parents' house after a divorce. She died in the house she grew up in on April 23, at age 78.

Upton-Farley was loving and dedicated to her church. She loved nice dresses and high heels, and ran a boutique out of her basement for a while. She was a crafter. She taught her children how to play Scrabble and encouraged them to watch "Jeopardy!" She was diplomatic and a "straight shooter," always saying what she meant. Artis said it was an honor to be her daughter: "She was a lady of class and dignity."

Susan Upton-Farley became mayor of Woodlawn in 1992 and served the village for nearly 20 years.

 (Photo: Provided/Tracey Artis)

All six of her children can cook because of the years they spent watching Upton-Farley make meals from scratch, Artis said. She would whip up homemade syrup with vanilla, butter and sugar, and loved fruits and vegetables. 

Artis said Upton-Farley "immersed herself" in her children's lives.

“My brother, Dwight, came home one day and said something happened with who was going to coach his little league team, baseball," Artis said. "He was 11 at the time. And my mother said, ‘Don’t get down about it, I’ll coach the team.’ ”

The next day after work, Artis said, her mother changed and went out to the field for practice.

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Upton-Farley became mayor of Woodlawn in 1992 and retired early from Procter and Gamble in 1995. She took time off from being mayor between 2004 and 2012, only to return and stay through December 2019. At her last council meeting on Dec. 17, she found out that a street would be named in her honor. Driving along Susan Upton Farley Way you will find Mount Zion Woodlawn Baptist Church and the Woodlawn municipal building.

“She didn’t feel like you should live somewhere and you didn’t know the people in your community and you didn’t serve the people in your community," Artis said.

During her eight years away from mayoral duties, Upton-Farley delivered meals on wheels and served on the Alzheimer’s Association board. 

Susan Upton-Farley encouraged her children to "build a village," her daughter, Tracey Artis, said. Susan made friends everywhere she went, but her home was always in Woodlawn.

 (Photo: Provided/Tracey Artis)

Upton-Farley loved to travel, Artis said. She would bring a Woodlawn flag everywhere she went, including to a school she helped build in South Africa. There is a flag in her home now, signed by Jimmy Carter. Upton-Farley worked on both Bill Clinton's and Barack Obama's presidential campaigns, and was invited to both of their inaugurations. 

A proud Princeton High School graduate, Upton-Farley was designated a distinguished alumni in 2013 and was the grand marshal for the school's homecoming parade just last year. Her four sons and two daughters also went to Princeton High School, two of which have since also been honored as distinguished alumni.

Susan Upton-Farley was the mother of six children: Craig, William, Dwight, Mark, Alyson and Tracey.

 (Photo: Provided/Tracey Artis)

Upton-Farley leaves behind her six children: Craig, William, Dwight, Mark, Alyson and Tracey; and 15 grandchildren. She is survived by four sisters: Etta Hampton, Dean Sheard, Deborah Rhodes and Natalie Gail Maxberry, according to Thompson, Hall & Jordan Funeral Homes.

“If she wasn’t my mother, she would have been my friend," Artis said. "I’m just positive, had we met outside of her being my mother that our hearts would have connected."

Services

All Village of Woodlawn flags will be flown at half-staff in her honor through Sunday, the village's website states. 

A visitation will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday at Lincoln Heights Baptist Church, located at 9991 Wayne Avenue. Those wishing to attend are asked to wear masks and will be allowed in 10 at a time, following social distancing guidelines.

A private, family-only funeral will follow. Thompson, Hall & Jordan Funeral Homes states they plan to live stream the service beginning at approximately 10:45 a.m.

Anyone can drive in the procession to Oak Hill Cemetery, which plans to leave the church at approximately 12:30 p.m. The route is as follows: Wayne Avenue to Marion Road to Springfield Pike to Gove Road. The family invites the Woodlawn Valley Community to greet them along the processional route to the cemetery on Susan Upton Farley Way (Woodlawn Boulevard) from Grove Road northbound to Riddle Road at approximately 12:40 p.m. 

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2020-04-30 23:17:54Z
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2020/04/30/lives-remembered-former-woodlawn-mayor-dies-78/3058831001/

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