In a notice in The Telegraph, the death has been announced of Lady Anne Farmer, wife of Sir Tom for more than 50 years.
Lady Anne died on 1 May at home in Edinburgh. She and Tom were inseparable, and he told me and many others that he knew her first because she lived in the stair next door to him and his large family in Leith. They went to the same school, got married and raised a son and a daughter.
Theirs was a love story however and he credited Anne with his success, saying she was always right there beside him, whether it was starting up Kwik-Fit, selling it to Ford, or buying Hibs.
And they had the bond of having a family together, and more recently grandchildren who filled their lives.
They both shared a sense of giving back and with the wealth which Sir Tom accumulated from his tyre business and his Kwik-Fit empire, the couple helped many others in many different ways.
This philanthropy included supporting the Light up a Life appeal with a Christmas tree in Charlotte Square every December to remember those lives cut short by cancer, and the Nativity scene for Edinburgh created by Tim Chalk. Sadly, this sculpted scene was recently retired after 18 years on display in St Andrew Square garden and on The Mound.
There are many other ways in which the family has contributed to Edinburgh life, mainly through the Sir Tom Farmer Foundation which has donated around £1 million in the last two years alone.
The Edinburgh Reporter offers our sincere condolences to Sir Tom and his family.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
