Mount Prospect mourns Janice Farley, community leader, widow of former Mount Prospect mayor

As the wife of former Mount Prospect Mayor Gerald “Skip” Farley, Janice Farley did not shy away from civic life.

Janice Farley, who died Sunday at 92, was a major contributor to her beloved village. Together, she and her husband were the village’s power couple.

Janice was a charter member of the village’s Special Events Commission. She also helped launch the village’s annual Shining Stars celebration, which grew from her involvement in the village’s 75th anniversary celebration in 1992.

She also was part of the Sister Cities Commission, which promoted the village’s relationship with Sevres, France. In recent years, she contributed to the village’s centennial commission.

The village named a room in village hall the Gerald L. and Janice C. Farley Community Room.

“Janice was an absolute treasure and a force in the village in her own right,” Mayor Paul Hoefert said.

Her son, Dave Farley, called his mother a combination of determination, organization, compassion and grace.

The Farleys moved to Mount Prospect from Indianola, Iowa, in 1973.

Janice once said longtime Mount Prospect volunteers Leo and Lil Floros, whom the Farleys knew through friends in Iowa -- and later became cherished neighbors -- urged the Farleys to get involved in the community.

“When we came here, Lil found our place where we lived for 50 years,” Janice Farley said shortly after the death of her husband of 70 years in 2023. “She said, ‘Now that you're here, you're not just going to sit and be a do-nothing. You're going to work. You're going to get involved.’”

Skip Farley served 10 years as a trustee before being serving as mayor from 1989 until 2005.

“Janice was a very kind and openhearted and giving woman. Anything you needed done, she would do. She would never say no,” said Jill Friedrichs, a former longtime member of the Special Events Commission.

Jean Murphy, president of the Mount Prospect Historical Society board, said Janice enjoyed putting together scrapbooks of Mount Prospect’s history. Recently, she helped the historical society with identifying people in historic village photos.

Dave Farley said his mother was active with Trinity United Methodist Church in Mount Prospect, where both his parents belonged to the church choir.

He said his mother also sang with the Northwest Choralettes group and the Festival Community Chorus at Harper College.

“Both mom and dad loved Mount Prospect,” he said. “I can’t think of any time I heard anything negative about the decision to move to Mount Prospect or any regret whatsoever. They loved the people. They loved the history. They loved everything about it.”