Robert Riggs Farnum, 78, a longtime resident of East Street in Great Barrington, died Nov. 18, 2018, at Fairview Commons in Great Barrington. Born Oct. 24, 1940, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late James M. Farnum and Amy Riggs Loungway. Robert attended the Williston Academy (1957–59), Wentworth Institute (1959–61) and Fitchburg State Teachers College (1962–65), where he received a Bachelor of Science in education.
Robert married his wife, Susan Elizabeth Guppy, June 12, 1965, in Danvers. Soon after they were married, they moved to Great Barrington where their two children, Hilary and Stephen, were born. Robert 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 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, Connecticut, 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. He also leaves granddaughter Maple Wynne Farnum; daughter-in-law Cathy Brooks and children Mara, John and Ethan; brother Alexander D. Farnum and wife Joan; and sister Anne Farnum Fix and husband Gary and children, Samuel Fix and Sarah C. Eiseman.
A memorial service for Robert R. Farnum will be held Saturday, May 18, at 1 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington 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 St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. To send remembrances to the family, go to www.finnertyandstevens.com.
