NEWTON, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — NFL player Caleb Farley and more than 100 people through the Catawba County community gathered Tuesday evening in Newton to memorialize his father, Robert Farley.
Robert was killed in a Mooresville home explosion reported just before midnight on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.
“My father was a stand-up guy,” Caleb told us. “He raised me to be a stand-up guy.”
They did so outside a place that meant the world to Robert, Caleb, and their entire family, Superior Barber Styling Center. Located on East D Street, the barbershop has been in the family since Robert and his brother bought it in 1999.
“I grew up in this barbershop since I was a little kid,” he said, fighting through tears outside the shop. “Since I was a little kid.”
It’s also where Caleb, once the quarterback for Maiden High School, essentially grew up. The death of Robert hit his home community just a few years after the passing of his wife, Robin, in 2018 to cancer.
“I’ve had a pretty wild past five years, six years. I’m a fighter, though,” Caleb said. “I just lean on my faith. That’s all I can do. That’s all I got.”
Caleb told Queen City News the support shown to him and his family is a true testament to his parents’ impact on those around them.
“I’m thankful my parents were well-respected in my community,” he explained. “They were very loved. God-fearing men and women. You know that it’s always a plus to have positive role models to raise me.”
