Mom's Obituary

National Book Publicist Edna Farley Loses Battle From Cancer

Edna Carol Farley, 74, of Fort Lauderdale, passed away Monday, April 4, 2011, at a Hospice in Fort Lauderdale following a brief battle against bladder cancer. One of the foremost book publicists in the nation, she and her husband teamed to create book tours for hundreds of authors for various publishing houses for over 30 years from their Fort Lauderdale home. Indeed, she was a pioneer in the now-accepted work-from-home mode of business while she and her husband parented their two children as they grew to adulthood.

Among the authors Mrs. Farley promoted during her long career were Nicholas Sparks, Brad Meltzer, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Nelson DeMille, Dominique Lapierre, Dr. Robert Ballard, Flora Rheta Schreiber, Richard Simmons, John Naisbitt, Jean Carper, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Dr. Earl Mindell, and Hollywood hair stylist Jose Eber to name but a few. She was known by journalists, radio and tv producers and anchors coast to coast, and often was called by them for interview and guest suggestions and tips.

Born Dec. 6, 1936, in Yonkers, NY, the daughter of Carl and Stella Rosky, and christened Edna Carol Pauline Rosky, she attended Yonkers public schools and was a graduate of Westchester Community College in White Plains. She began her newspaper career as a reporter for the former Ossining, NY, Citizen-Register , and then was Women’s Page Editor of the old Yonkers Herald-Statesman, before moving to New York City and a career in publicity and publishing. She joined the staff of the former Warner Bros. book division as a publicist in 1971 and later served as Director of Publicity for the old Warner Books Division before leaving to become a full-time mother in 1975. At the request of her former employer, she began accepting assignments working from home in 1976, and the arrangement continued unbroken until her retirement late in 2010, as Warner Books morphed into Time-Warner, AOL Time Warner, and more recently Grand Central Publishing division of Hachette Book Group USA. Most often described as “strongly independent, tenacious, true professional, and loyal,” Mrs. Farley applied these attributes equally in both her professional career and in her personal and family life.

Mrs. Farley is survived by her loving family including husband, Lowell Farley of Fort Lauderdale; son, Lowell Farley, Jr. of Houston, TX; daughter, Eliza Gomez and her husband, Benjamin, of Pompano Beach, FL; sister, Jean Rosky of Ft. Lauderdale, and a number of nieces, nephews and cousins.

A viewing will be held Friday, April 8, 2011, from 4 to 8 pm at the Baird-Case Jordan-Fannin Funeral Home, 4343 North Federal Highway, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308, followed by a memorial service at 11 am Saturday, April 9 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3201 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL, 33063. Cremation and internment will follow in Greenwood, IN. Donations in Mrs. Farley’s behalf may be made to the American Cancer Society, to Gilda’s Club of South Florida, or to your favorite charity.