Alvin Howard Farrar, 75, a resident of Luverne, Alabama, passed away unexpectedly at Crenshaw Community Hospital on Saturday, August 22nd, 2026.

Alvin was a man of many interests, many talents, and, if you were lucky enough to know him well, a wonderfully dry sense of humor. Intelligent, laid-back, witty, and always ready with a well-timed remark, he had a way of making life more interesting for the people around him.

A graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor's degree in microbiology, Alvin spent part of his career working at the hospital in Florence. But his interests reached far beyond his profession. An avid cyclist, he owned his own bicycle shop and helped start a bicycling movement in Florence. He also helped start the W.C. Handy Three-State Bike Ride, held in conjunction with the W.C. Handy Music Festival. His love of cycling was not simply a hobby; it became part of the community he helped build while in North Alabama.

Alvin was also a published author, Of Smoke and Sand, and possessed the kind of curious mind that was rarely content sitting still. He enjoyed tinkering with projects, picking at the guitar and piano, and tending to his yard. In his younger years, he loved hunting and fishing and was always up for an adventure...including the occasional alligator hunt.

Some of Alvin's favorite adventures, though, were the ones he shared with his nieces and nephews. He and Myriam loved taking them along on vacations and making memories fishing, canoeing, scalloping, and exploring together. He was wonderful with them, and those trips became the kind of stories that remain long after the suitcases have been unpacked.

Generous by nature, Alvin was always willing to lend a hand when someone needed one. Whether he was sharing his knowledge, fixing something, helping with a project, or simply making someone laugh, he gave freely of himself. He was also a man of great faith who firmly believed in practicing what he preached and loved his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with all of his heart.

Ultimately, Alvin lived with curiosity, humor, and a genuine enjoyment of the world around him. He could be scholarly one moment, tinkering with something the next, and somewhere in between offer a perfectly dry comment that left everyone laughing. He leaves behind not only the things he accomplished, but countless stories, adventures, laughs, and memories shared with the people fortunate enough to have known him.

Alvin was preceded in death by his parents, Fielden Howard Farrar and Carolyn Walker (Jim) Davidson, and brother-in-law, Jack Pickett. He is survived by his beloved wife of 49 years, Myriam Vanderhoeven Farrar; their sons, Andy Farrar, Vann Farrar, and Walter (Brandy) Farrar; sister, Marty Pickett; and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.