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COURTESY HILLEL DAY SCHOOL

in memoriam

in
the

Audrey and Bill Farber, with Rabbi Harold Loss of Temple Israel, are at Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills, an institution that benefited from the Farbers’ transformational gifts in the community.

William “Bill” Farber

Family man gave generously to transform the community.

RONELLE GRIER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

illiam “Bill” Farber was a generous philan-
thropist, an astute businessman, a devoted
husband, father and grandfather, and a loyal
friend. He passed away on March 25, 2017, after a valiant
battle with a long illness. He was 85.
After retiring from a successful career in the phar-
maceutical business, Bill took pleasure in taking the
financial rewards he reaped and passing them on to the
community in the form of charitable gifts intended to
transform the beneficiaries of his generosity, especially if
the cause related to education and children.
Bill was born in Detroit to Doris and Sam Farber, who
had three children; Bill, Jake and Marsha. Bill, the oldest,
exhibited his future entrepreneurial skills at age 14, when
he opened an ice cream business “staffed” by neighbor-
hood kids. Sam, a pharmacist, owned Farber Drugs,
across the street from Central High School, and Bill was
his faithful delivery boy.
After joining the Army and serving four years in Japan,

he returned home and attended Wayne State University,
where he graduated and became a registered pharmacist.
On a blind date, he met Audrey, who was his wife, best
friend and most ardent supporter for 62 years. Theirs was
a true partnership, and together they traveled the world
and enjoyed spending time with family and friends, and
most of all, with each other.
When Bill decided to move into the pharmaceutical
business, he feared being unsuccessful and unable to
take care of his growing family, but he took the leap and
invested in Michigan Pharmacal, which thrived under his
leadership and business acumen. Audrey was his book-
keeper until he sold the company in 1988.
Always the risk-taker, Bill began buying stock in the
struggling Lannett Company, one of the first generic drug
manufacturers in country. He purchased it in 1991 and
eventually turned the company into a highly successful
enterprise.
Of all his successes, and all the buildings, walls and

plaques that bear his name, Bill was proudest of the three
sons, David, Larry and Jeffrey, who carry on his name and
his legacy.
“My father had one great goal in life — to be better in
everything you are, never stand still,” Larry recalls.
While all his sons have become successful business-
men, they learned the basics from their father as young
boys helping out in the family business. There was no
advantage to being the boss’ sons; Bill insisted they start
from the bottom — mopping floors, taking out the trash
and shelving stock.
“My dad taught me I’m not above anyone,” said David,
which mirrored Bill’s own attitude about the company he
ran. “He ate snacks from the vending machine along with
the workers. He would do anything that needed to be
done. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.”
Business and the money it generated were important
to Bill, but only as a means to an end. Money allowed
him to achieve his primary goal: taking care of his fam-

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April 6 • 2017

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