Mark W. Farmen

Mark W. Farmen passed away on May 27, 2017 at his home in Noblesville, Indiana. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on Aug. 20, 1964. He was 52 years old.
He graduated from Anderson University, completed a master's degree in applied mathematics from Colorado State University and earned a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in statistics. He was employed as Research Advisor in Discovery Statistics at Eli Lilly and Company. Mark worked for Lilly for almost 20 years.  He was one of their first discovery statisticians in the late 90's and provided support for many areas of discovery research and pharmacogenomics.  Eventually, Mark focused on supporting diabetes research & biomarkers where he developed a passion for understanding the disease in order to serve patients. He had publications in scholarly journals relating to his statistical work in applied mathematics. 
Mark loved the outdoors and was an active mountain bicyclist. He loved to take his children fishing so they could be close to nature. He also patiently helped extended family members with homework and problems in science, statistics and mathematics. He was an avid gardener and planted numerous fruit trees and plants. He liked to exercise and stay in good shape. 
Mark was deeply spiritual. He was devoted to praying and reading his Alcoholic Anonymous passages and scriptures every morning and evening without fail. He was active in both his AA and church communities. He consistently strove to serve God and others in the conduct of his life. Mark was a good man.
Mark was a caring son, father, and brother. He was conscientious, kind and gentle. He loved his friends and family deeply. He was always thoughtful and readily gave of his time and resources to others. He had a wonderful dry sense of humor and a very inquiring mind. He was deeply loved by his children, parents, siblings and fiancée and all those who came to share in his life. Mark had a sweet, open face and the biggest, engaging smile. Sadly, for much of his adult life, he struggled with mental illness.
He is survived by his two children, Abigail C. Farmen and Lydia G. Farmen; his mother, Melba LaVon (Trumble) Torongeau and her husband, Bob Torongeau; his father, William J. Farmen, Ph.D., and his wife, Pamela Leidig-Farmen; and his fiancée, Sarah Schwen, M.D., and her children, Benjamin Passey, Hannah Passey, and Samuel Passey. He also is survived by his brother, David A. Farmen and his wife, Angel (Manis) Farmen; his sisters, Megan (Caudill-Farmen) McPheron and her husband, Tony McPheron, and Carissa (Caudill-Farmen) Watters and her husband, Conley Watters; and numerous aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces.
We will all miss Mark's friendship, his gentle nature and his desire to help others. He was a gift to all of us.
Services will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, June 9, 2017 at St. Louis deMontfort Catholic Church, 11441 Hague Road, Fishers, IN 46038. Visitation will be from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Thursday, June 8, 2017 at Randall & Roberts Funeral Home, 1150 Logan Street in Noblesville.
Memorial contributions may be made to Water For Life, 75-5851 Kuakini Hwy #75, Kailua Kona, HI 96740, www.waterforlife.org; or Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 90 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10016, www.bbrfoundation.org.