Robert R. Farnum, 78

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Robert Riggs Farnum, 78, a longtime resident of East Street in Great Barrington, died November 18, 2018, at Fairview Commons in Great Barrington.

Born October 24, 1940, in Norristown, Pa., he was the son of the late James M. Farnum and Amy Riggs Loungway.  Robert attended the Williston Academy (1957-1959), Wentworth Institute (1959-1961) and Fitchburg State Teachers College (1962-1965), where he received a BS in Education.

Robert married his wife Susan Elizabeth Guppy on June 12, 1965, in Danvers, Mass. Soon after they were married they moved to Great Barrington where their two children, Hilary and Stephen were born.

He was an active member of the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington, where he sang in the church choir. He was also a member of The Berkshire Hillsmen, a Barbershop Chorus as well as a life member of the Girl Scouts USA. 

In 1986 Mr. Farnum retired from Becton-Dickinson Medical Supplies in Canaan, Conn., where he had worked as an architectural draftsman for 18 years.

Robert is survived by his wife of 53 years, Susan G. Farnum; along with their children, Hilary Jewett Farnum and Stephen Return Riggs Farnum; his granddaughter, Maple Wynne Farnum; his daughter-in-law Cathy Brooks and her children, Mara, John and Ethan; his brother, Alexander D. Farnum and wife Joan; and sister Anne Farnum Fix and husband Gary as well as their children, Samuel Fix and Sarah C. Eiseman.

Funeral notice: A memorial service for Robert R. Farnum will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2019, at 1 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington, Mass., with a reception to follow in the parish room.

Donations in Robert’s memory may be made to the Mason Library Children’s Room Native American Stories or Western Stories through Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home, 426 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230.