A Tamaqua man who went missing more than a decade ago, and whose partial remains were found last summer, will be laid to rest on May 23.

Jesse Farber’s funeral from the Zizelmann-Gulla Funeral Home in Tamaqua will have public calling hours from 2-3 p.m., according to his mother, Norma Jean Fritz.

He will be transported to the 500 E. Broad St. funeral home by special means.

“Before I take my son out of Tamaqua forever, I will be taking him through town one last time in a horse-drawn carriage,” Fritz said. “It feels important to me that he gets that final ride home before I lay him to rest.”

Fritz recalled the last conversation she had with her son, 29, shortly before he was last seen on Aug. 11, 2015.

“The last time I spoke to Jesse, he sounded hopeful. He was talking about starting over and leaving Tamaqua behind,” she recalled. “He wanted to build his motorcycle and just go. I remember asking him, ‘Are you leaving forever?’ And he just laughed.”

It was just one of the many chats the two shared in the days leading to his disappearance.

“We talked about him helping me with a remodel project, going on vacation and all the normal things you talk about with someone you love,” she said. “We talked about life. His last words to me were, ‘Call me anytime, Mom.’ He always ended our conversations by calling me ‘Mom.’ ”

For the first eight years after Farber disappeared, Fritz said searching for him consumed her entire life.

“I ate, slept and breathed looking for my son,” she said.

She said she created the nonprofit “Where’s Jesse?” on Facebook and other social media platforms to keep her son’s face and name in the public eye. She didn’t want anyone to forget him — or stop looking for him.

The journey would eventually become much bigger than Fritz expected, she said. It wasn’t long before she ended up working alongside of then-state Rep. Lynda Culver, who is now a Pennsylvania senator representing the 27th District.

“Together, we helped get legislation passed that now mandates reporting (related to missing people) in Pennsylvania,” Fritz said.

It also requires Pennsylvania State Police to turn over DNA samples to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

“Ironically, that same law ultimately became one of the tools used to verify that the remains found were in fact Jesse’s.” Fritz said.

She noted that it has been difficult.

“A couple years ago, I reached a point where I felt like I heard Jesse’s voice telling me, ‘Mom, just stop,’ ” Fritz said. “The stress and grief had become more than I could physically and emotionally carry. For the first time in years, I finally allowed myself to breathe and turn toward hobbies and the people and things that still grounded me.”

She said she finds peace around horses, other animals and woodworking.

She also tries to make as many memories as possible with her three sons, grandchildren and other loved ones.

“We also spend a lot of time at our place at the beach. Those things helped keep me standing through the darkest years of my life,” Fritz said. “The last 10-plus years have been impossible to truly put into words. And honestly, the months following the phone call telling me my son’s remains had been found are almost a blur to me now.”

As she prepares to put Farber to rest, she questions how people survive the kind of situation that she did.

“I am beyond grateful for Jesse’s three brothers and for my grandchildren. Without my family and my animals, I do not know what kind of shell I would be right now,” Fritz said.

She said community support has been meaningful, and that the state police have also been incredibly kind, compassionate and determined to solve this case.

The case remains an open criminal investigation.

The Schuylkill County Coroner’s Office recently ruled Farber’s cause of death as “probable blunt force trauma to the head.” Deputy Coroner John Mika said that the manner of death is unknown. He is hoping that someone comes forward with more information.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the state police at 570-874-5300.

The PSP Tips program is also offering a $5,000 reward for information that helps solve the case. Call PSP Tips, call 800-472-8477 or visit www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=107.

Fritz added that “Where’s Jesse” and “Disrupt the Corrupt” are the only official social media pages connected to Farber’s case. The latter contains a timeline of events related to Farber’s disappearance and the ongoing investigation.

Both are run by Farber’s family along with the private investigator and attorney. Official information is shared through Facebook and TikTok.

“Our family remains hopeful that another forensic search may eventually be conducted,” Fritz said.

She said state police said the area where Farber’s remains were found in Walker Township by all-terrain-vehicle riders has become increasingly difficult to search due to civilians disturbing and damaging the location over time.