Duane Keith Farmer, 68, of Seymour, Indiana and formerly of Pandora, Ohio, passed away December 14, 2025, in North Vernon, Indiana. Duane was born April 21, 1957, in Detroit, Michigan, to the late Albert and Katie (Germanovich) Farmer.
Duane was a tool and die maker for many years before becoming a landlord and property manager. He was a member of the Kentucky Colonels. Duane enjoyed martial arts and held a black belt in Taekwondo. He also enjoyed traveling and watching sports, especially the Detroit Lions, Detroit Red Wings and the Michigan Wolverines.
The sight of workers being lowered from a helicopter onto an electricity transmission tower near Phillips and Augsburger roads on Friday, December 12, wowed local passersby. Photographer Dawn King shared these photos on the Bluffton Buzz Facebook group and with the Bluffton Icon.
Happy Monday, Blufftonites! Here are BlufftonIcon.com's top stories from the week that was, December 8-14. For a chronological look Icon content, visit blufftonicon.com/archive.
MEDIA RELEASE__The children of Trinity Lutheran Church and school in Jenera are looking forward to presenting their Christmas service "The Carols of Christmas" on Tuesday, December 23 at 10:00 a.m. and again on Wednesday, December 24 at 7:00 p.m.
MEDIA RELEASE—The Swiss Community Historical Society of Bluffton and Pandora is pleased to announce it has hired Neil Allen, a native of Ada, as its first-ever Museum Director. Gary Wetherill, president of the SCHS, stated, ”On behalf of the Swiss Community Historical Society, I’d like to welcome Neil Allen as our director of the Swiss Heritage Center. We look forward to working together with him as we enter a new era for the Society. His expertise and professionalism are already apparent in the first exhibits he has developed for the Society.”