Hillsdale’s first professor of accounting, Febes T. Facey, died Jan. 30 at age 94 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

According to a public Facebook post by her son Eddie Facey on Jan. 28, Febes entered hospice care after the discovery of a mass on her pancreas. 

“As she processed her situation, it’s probably not surprising to anyone who knows her that she could look up to me from her bed and say ‘be happy for me,’” Eddie Facey said in the post. “As far as I can see, she is completely at peace, being kept comfortable, and is able to share love, memories, and acknowledgement of what she gave to so many, particularly her children, and the impact it had on her sphere of influence.”

Facey’s generosity stood out to all who knew her, according to Susan Sweeney, neighbor and fellow Saint Anthony Catholic Church member. Sweeny said Facey always had a gift for her in her purse. Facey’s autobiography, “In Search of a Pearl of Great Price,” reflected on hosting Thanksgiving. Each year, she bought the biggest turkey she could find and invited students to her home to celebrate. At Halloween, she filled her living room with toys, candy, and apples. According to Sweeney, all kids left her home with bags full of treats. 

Facey taught at Hillsdale College for 21 years, from 1973-1994, alongside her husband, the late Edward Facey, a professor of economics. 

Originally hired as an Associate Professor of Finance, Marketing and Investments, Facey pushed for the addition of an accounting major. Budget constraints at the time meant the college was unable to hire another professor. According to her autobiography, Facey offered to teach one to two accounting classes on top of her regular courses without extra compensation. Facey also taught through the summer to ensure her students would finish the accounting major on time. 

Facey’s care for her future students inspired visits to Detroit’s “Big Eight” accounting firms. According to her autobiography, many firms originally overlooked an accounting program from a liberal arts college. Facey convinced hiring managers to interview her students with a persuasive presentation of her teaching methods and a gift of Empire apples. According to her autobiography, “from that year on, her students were always employed.”

Even after her retirement, Facey’s influence remained with Hillsdale faculty, according to Michael Sweeney, professor emeritus of accounting. Sweeney met Facey after he began teaching accounting at Hillsdale in 1996. Facey became a mentor to Sweeney through their drives to Cleveland to visit Facey’s husband, who was battling cancer.

“She was always willing to give advice if asked, but made it clear that the program was now in my hands,” Sweeney said. 

According to Sweeney, the professional network Facey built up in her time as a professor greatly benefited the accounting department. Outside Sweeney’s old office in Lane Hall, a plaque is dedicated to Facey from former students. 

According to her autobiography, Facey’s students remember the Chinese axioms she shared during class from her time living in China. The best remembered phrase was “teach a man to fish and he will have food on his plate for the rest of his life,” according to Facey’s biography.

Former student Treasa Bullock-Sylvester ’89 remembered Facey’s dedication to both her family and career.

“We were waiting for class to start, and she came up to us girls and talked to us about teaching,” Bullock-Sylvester said. “She told us that if you want to have a family and you want to still have a career, teaching is the way to go. If you love accounting, you can be an accounting teacher, math teacher, there’s just so much out there but really consider teaching. Those were her passions.”

Facey emphasized hard work and a passion for learning in her classroom, according to Bullock-Sylvester. 

“What I took from her class is that you excel at what you love,” Sylvester said. “She taught me that passion. After failing a test, she asked, ‘do you like accounting?’ and I said, ‘yes, I love accounting.’ And she said, ‘well, going forward, you’ll figure it out.’”

Facey was born in the Philippines discovered her love for accounting at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, Philippines. While she originally intended to pursue medical school because of the need for doctors during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, working a job prevented her from taking the required day classes. Instead, she explored another interest, business, in evening classes. She graduated magna cum laude in 1954 at the top of her class.

After the University of San Carlos, Facey received her MBA from Stanford University in 1957. In her 200 person class, she was one of two women. In 1960, Facey began studying at New York University for a Ph.D. 

At NYU, Facey took a class from Ludwig von Mises, the father of Austrian Economics. Facey recalls fond memories of high tea with other students at the Mises’s household in her autobiography. The Faceys stayed in touch with the Mises family after graduation and occasionally returned to their house for a visit. 

After earning her Ph.D., Facey taught at St. John’s University in New York City while her husband finished his dissertation. At a dinner party, the couple met then-College President George Roche. Because of a shared interest in free market economics, Edward accepted a position teaching economics at Hillsdale College on the condition that Febes would also be given a teaching post. Febes proceeded to teach at Hillsdale from 1973 to 1994, when she received emerita status. 

Facey arrived early to Mass at Saint Anthony every Sunday to pray the rosary and sit in the same spot; her favorite place was an individual pew in the fourth row. 

“She was devout, capital every letter,” Susan Sweeney said. “Her ministry was prayer.”

Facey’s memorial service will be held on Saturday in Las Vegas, where she moved in 2011 and her son currently resides.