Longtime Arlington real estate icon remembered as dedicated community servant
Billie Farrar was behind a lot of “firsts” for Arlington.
The longtime real estate agent moved to the city as it grew from a rest stop between Dallas and Fort Worth to an entertainment hub of nearly 400,000 residents. Over the decades, Farrar played a hand in many land deals and sat on several foundation and business development boards — many of which had never previously appointed a woman.
Farrar, who died Oct. 17 at 91, became a force behind Arlington’s rapid growth. Friends and family, though, say she was more focused on helping the city than she was being a trailblazer.
“She never felt that way at all and wasn’t intentionally trying to be the first woman to do this or that,” said Scott Farrar, Billie’s son. “She just thought if you just really work hard, things will come your way.”
Born in Rising Star before moving to Cross Cut, Billie often told Scott how her family and neighbors gawked at the sight of a car bumping down a dirt road or how she and her siblings sold chickens they caught. The youngest of four girls, Billie and her siblings received one pair of shoes per year and lived in a house with an outdoor Depression-era bathroom. After her mom died, Billie and her family moved to Brownwood, where she and some of her sisters worked for an uncle’s dry cleaning business.
“She comes from a very meager beginning,” Scott said.
Billie and her husband, Bill, moved to Arlington after attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas and opened Bill’s B&B Food Store near Collins Street and Park Row Drive, the first of four they would operate in North Texas. The Farrars moved to Arlington before its population ballooned.
After advocating for the development of Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, Billie obtained her real estate license while managing the grocery store’s payroll. After a few successful sales, Billie bought her office space at 600 W. Park Row Dr., where she’d frequent even after her real estate license expired in late 2019.
“She just decided kind of on a whim to get a real estate license,” Scott said.
At the same time, Billie became involved in several organizations. She was the first woman to serve on the boards of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Texas Health Resources Arlington Memorial Hospital and First City Bank.
She earned honors from the Arlington Historical Society and the Arlington ISD Education Foundation. In 2008, she was inducted into the Chamber of Commerce’s Hall of Fame.
“She was one of the pioneers in development,” said Tom Cravens, former Chamber chairperson.
‘She loved making deals’
While the signage for Farrar Real Estate still stands outside the Park Row office, the business closed when Billie Farrar let her license expire.
Her certification was up for renewal in November when, to Scott’s surprise, she did not renew it. Scott still works in part of the office, while another part of the building is up for lease. Even after letting her license run out, Scott said, she went to the office nearly every day until her health prevented her from making the trek from Mill Creek.
Cravens remembered Billie Farrar as a woman who advocated for “everything that was good for Arlington,” as well as the budding agents she helped.
“I’m not sure she even charged them to be in the office, but she mentored a whole bunch of these Realtors and developers in Arlington,” Cravens said.
Similarly, Scott said, she was excited for the city’s booming growth over several decades of helping people find tracts of land and serving the community.
“My mom came to work every day,” he said. “She loved what she did. She loved making deals.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 3:41 PM.
CORRECTION: This story was updated to clarify the location of Bill’s B&B and details about Billie Farrar’s life.
