Tim Farris

A longtime influential rancher and philanthropist in the Pikeville community passed away on January 2, 2022. Timothy J. Farris was born in Vinita, Oklahoma on June 14, 1944. After graduation from high school, Tim served four years in the U.S. Navy.

After his service with the Navy, Tim eventually moved and settled in Duluth, Georgia with his family, where they were members of Duluth First Baptist Church. During this time, Tim followed his dream to start his own company, quickly becoming known as an innovative entrepreneur in the Atlanta area.

In 1981, he founded the Quadram Corporation, a technology company employing over 300 people, where his initial invention was the Quadboard, which became the industry standard for computer add-in peripheral products.

In 1993, a few years after Tim retired from Quadram, he and his wife, Jeri, purchased a local farm in Pikeville and created Manderly Farms. They raised registered cattle in a cow-calf operation and their farm was, and still is today, a visible example of Tim’s motivation and attention to detail. Jeri and her mother still reside on the farm where she strives to continue Tim’s dream in philanthropy and in the cow-calf operation.

As a citizen of Bledsoe County, Tim was well-known as a friend of many and someone who loved Pikeville; witnessed by how he worked to be a contributing member of the community. The Farris Foundation was instrumental in starting Noah’s Inn Children’s Haven, a temporary home in Pikeville for children who were waiting to be placed in homes by the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. Also over the years, the Foundation has awarded four-year college scholarships to many deserving Bledsoe County students.

Tim was a quiet, humble, and sensitive person who tended to be more comfortable by not calling attention to himself. But he could be very persuasive and persistent if he felt he could meet a need in Bledsoe County. His mantra was “Helping Others Help Themselves” and he never shied away from volunteering his talents and sharing his resources.

We offer our prayers and support to his children, David, Cindy and Mark, and his six grandchildren. Tim is also survived by his sister, Sue Walker and his brother, Kinney Farris, both of Pennsylvania; and his many nieces and nephews, all of whom mourn his passing.

A memorial service for Tim will be planned in the Atlanta area at a later date.