Emily Blanche Farnham
November 20th, 2021
Emily (Em) Blanche Farnham
April 14, 1937 to November 20, 2021
It is with heavy hearts we announce the peaceful passing of Emily Blanche Farnham at home on Saturday, November 20, 2021 with her wife by her side after a brief illness.
Em will be forever loved and missed by her wife of 33 years, Sandi Sheppard; her brother, Robert; nephews, Al (Chrissy) Crowe, Brian Farnham, Raymond (Sue) Farnham and Trevor Farnham; nieces, Jacqueline (Rod) Lawrence, and Sheila (Randy) Ritchie; great nieces, Chrystal (Ron) Farnham-Sullivan and Tayla Farnham; great nephews, Cody, Brody, Brenden and Josh Farnham; great great nieces, Riley, Janie and Cassie Sullivan; sister-in-law, Susan (Bill) Earle and brother-in-law, John (Wendy) Sheppard; dear friends and special longtime friends and former teammates, Linda Wagner Saunders (Iwan), Pat McBeath (Wayne) and Donna Collins (deceased).
Emily was predeceased by her father and mother, Raymond and Bessie Farnham; her sister, Lillian in infancy; her brother, Jack; her nephew, Robert “Robbie”; her great niece, Jacqueline Willier; and sister-in-law, Viny Farnham.
Emily grew up in Tisdale, Saskatchewan where she was introduced to curling by her dad. She moved to Prince Albert in 1946, to Saskatoon in 1962 and has resided in Airdrie, Alberta since 2007. The move to Airdrie gave Em an opportunity to be reunited with her brothers and their families which brought her much joy and many fun times.
Emily was an avid curler and a member of the Nutana Curling Club for over 35 years. She was the first woman president of her club and served on the Board of Directors for several years. In addition to her competitive curling Em was involved administratively at various levels - club, city, provincially and nationally. She served as a volunteer on many bonspiels and national competitions. In addition to competing at the city, northern and provincial play downs, she competed at the national level in one women’s and four senior women’s competitions. Her teams won the 1974 Macdonald Lassies Championship in Victoria, BC, and the 1989 Canadian Senior Women’s Championship in Kenora, ON, and runner-up at the 1992 Senior Women’s Championship in Victoria, BC. Emily was very proud of her teams’ accomplishments. She was inducted as a builder into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame and the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame. Em is also a member of the Saskatchewan Curling Association Legends of Curling Honour Roll. The 1974 and 1989 Championship teams were inducted into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame and the 1974 team was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. She was particularly proud of being voted by her peers for the all-star skip award at the national level on three occasions. Em loved her curling, as well as playing golf recreationally. Emily played at Greenbrye Golf Club in Saskatoon for many years and, more recently, at Woodside in Airdrie. Em was exceptionally pleased to finally master using her woods when she was in her 70s!
Emily was very grateful for the opportunity to work at the University of Saskatchewan for 35 years (Dean of Arts and Science Office, Office of the Registrar and the College of Dentistry). She loved the campus and interactions with students, staff, colleagues and the public. Prior to the University of Saskatchewan, Em worked for seven years with the Bank of Montreal in Prince Albert and Saskatoon. She felt very fortunate to have had careers she enjoyed so much. She officially retired in 1999.
Emily asked that appreciation be expressed to her many life-long friends for their support of her various endeavours throughout her life.
Thank you to Airdrie Palliative Care and nurses, Katrina and Virginia, and to Dr. Kyne for their wonderful care. Thank you, as well, to Dr. Tina Nicholson for her kind and gentle care over the past 14 years. And thank you to our friend Marilyn Schaay for her support and help these past months.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon, 1011 University Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 0K4 or to the Canadian Cancer Society, 200 – 325 Manning Road NE, Calgary, Alberta, T2E 2P5 or a charity of your choice.
Messages:
Remembering a great admissions gatekeeper to the University of Saskatchewan. Emily exhibited a wonder filled run of dedication to work and curling and thankfully enjoyed another well deserved period of enjoyment in retirement. Condolences to Sandi and thanks to Emily for all that she did.
We became friends with Emily and Sandy when we moved to Airdrie and lived in the same complex. Emily was an excellent cat sitter! She helped us out a few times when we took short trips. We remember her wonderful smile and her gentle nature. We also remember to try not to call while curling finals were on! Rest In Peace ‘Em. Sandy we hold you in high regard and will think of you often as you deal with your loss.
So sorry to hear of Emily’s passing. She was a role model at nutana & great curler. I was so thrilled to play lead for her in a few bonspiels when I was 16.
My condolences to Sandi and the extended families on Emily’s passing. I always admired her ability as a curler and enjoyed her wit and insightful comments on curling. This world needs more Emily's
We are all so sorry to lose our sweet , brave Emily. Our love and prayers go to Sandi and Emily’s family . We will always treasure our happy and fun times with Emily and Sandi and feel special to have had our “Emmykins “ be a part of our lives . Love John and Wendy Sheppard .
Emily Farnham was our precious sister-in-law for over 33 years. During that time Emily was always just a smile away. Her quick wit and one liners brought laughter and sage thinking to so many occasions. She was the kindest person, always greeting adversity in constructive ways. The twinkle in her eyes brought warmth and light to any situation. Emily stood tall in her professional world, guiding others through her many leadership roles. Her prowess in the sporting world led to many awards and distinctions. She openly gave of her time and expertise, always with an open and generous heart. Her love of sports was contagious; her connections to people in the sporting world were far-reaching. Just last week a former CBC Sports writer commented on Emily's fame in the curling world. We mentioned her name in conversation and he beamed in awe of her accomplishments and leadership actions that grew the sport in positive ways. Emily was a true builder. The loss of Emily in our lives hurts so much. We loved her so much. Now she rests with Kallie her precious dog of 16 years, by her side. Much love always, Bill and Susan Earle, Salty our Golden Retriever, Karalee Close, Sune Petersen, Sofia Close Santos, Luca Close Santos, Kelly Close, Ian Pierce, Avery Pierce, Ellis Pierce
Sadden to hear of Emily’s passing. Condolences to her loved ones. Emily was such a pioneer in our sport. She definitely left her mark and was such an incredible role model. RIP Emily.
Sandi ~ I am so saddened to hear of Em’s passing. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time. I am a phone call away if there is anything I can do. So much love is coming your way. Cindy
Sandy I am so sorry to hear of Emily’s passing and if I could say anything about Em I would say she was the most gentle kind friend anyone could ask for. Rest In Peace sweet girl. Our condolences to you Sandi and all the family, she will be greatly missed. If there is anything we can do please don’t be afraid to reach out, We are here for you. Hugs ❤️❤️
I am so very sorry to hear about Em , may she Rest In Peace. She will be greatly missed.
I had the honour and pleasure of working with Emily at the U of S. We sat on a few committees together and she was very supportive of all my choices and career moves while I worked there. She was one of a kind I think. I enjoyed our time visiting at the golf course and all the e-mails in the past number of years as we moved on to the next chapter of our lives. Sandi, I'm so sorry for your loss. She's at peace now - brave Emily. Jan Niekamp
Caren and I would like to pass on our condolences to Sandi and all there family. She was a wonderful person, I enjoyed my time with her on the Board of Directors of the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame. She will be missed.
So sad to read of the passing of Emily, a legend in women's curling. She enjoyed a lifetime of accomplishment, and achievement, and did it all with grace, humility, and class. She earned great admiration and respect from us all. I was privileged and proud to have her as a clubmate at the Nutana C. C. Well done Emily, on a Hall of Fame life.