NEWTON, N.C. (WJZY) – Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley and more than 100 people throughout North Carolina’s Catawba County community gathered Tuesday evening to memorialize the football player’s father, Robert Farley, who was killed in a home explosion just before midnight on Monday.
“My father was a stand-up guy,” Caleb told News 2’s sister station, WJZY, during the memorial. “He raised me to be a stand-up guy.”
The group gathered outside a place that meant the world to the Farley family: Superior Barber Styling Center. Located in Newton, North Carolina, the barbershop had been in the family since Robert and his brother bought the business in 1999.
“I grew up in this barbershop since I was a little kid,” Caleb said, fighting through tears outside the shop.
Robert’s death came just a few years after he lost his wife, Robin, to cancer in 2018.
“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.”
He told WJZY that 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.”
Robert, 61, died after the multi-million-dollar Mooresville home exploded Monday night. Another person, identified as 25-year-old Christian Rogers, was also inside the home and suffered a concussion from the blast.
Neighbors in the area told News 2’s sister station they smelled gas around the time of the explosion.