Patricia Fanning Farnsworth

Patricia “Pat” Fanning Farnsworth died on October 14, 2022, in Williamsburg, Virginia at the age of 86. Originally from Illinois, Pat began her adventures early in her life as she and her sister Joey attended a boarding school in Arizona. Soon after, her parents Dr. and Mrs. Fanning and her brother Jim joined them in the southwest, permanently moving to New Mexico as Pat’s life-long connection to Albuquerque began.

Pat came from a long line of strong, independent, and adventurous women so when she decided to move alone to New York City to see the world after graduating from the University of New Mexico, it wasn’t a surprise. Pat figured out that a career in the airline industry offered travel benefits so off she went on adventures all over Europe.

A few years later, Pat moved west to Hawaii in the early 1960s so she could work for Qantas Airlines and visit Australia. While in Hawaii, she met her husband David Lee Farnsworth, a career naval officer assigned to Honolulu, and they married in 1963.

Pat embraced the military life leading the family, including her children (Ambassador) Laura Dogu, Andrew Farnsworth, and (Dr.) Katherine Farnsworth, through her husband’s 20-year career involving multiple moves across the United States and Europe.

Following military retirement, the family settled in Lincoln, Nebraska where Pat received her Master of Art in Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and began her second career in counseling. As future job changes took the family to Canada and then back to Tennessee, Pat focused her life on supporting her family and her clients.

Widowed in 1990, Pat moved back to Albuquerque to be near her mother, and her brother and his family. She was an active member of the Albuquerque Assistance League and actively supported her original Chi-Omega chapter at the University of New Mexico as an alumni advisor.

In 2011, Pat made her final move electing Patriots Colony in Williamsburg, Virginia with the idea of being closer to her children who lived in the mid-Atlantic region. She was a proud and active board member of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) at both the local and national levels and the publisher of the Patriots Press newsletter. And she almost never missed an evening happy hour with her neighborhood friends.

A firm believer that you are never too old to do something, Pat made sure to complete items on her bucket list, and there were many:

- Skydiving for the first time at age 79, with a repeat performance for her 80th birthday

- Visiting all 7 continents

- Trampoline jumping and roller coaster riding with her grandchildren

- Riding camels in the Egyptian desert near the pyramids

But family and friends were the most important part of her life. Pat loved her children and could not have been more proud of her grandchildren SGTt Derin Dogu (and his wife CPL Lis Dogu), 1st LT Adem Dogu (and his wife Andrea Dogu), and Wallis (6 years old) and Wynn Farnsworth (4 years old). She also felt close to her many in-laws, nieces, and nephews.

Pat never met a stranger and was up for every adventure. The one thing she wanted to do but never could was make a trip to Space. Her family is sure she is working on that now.

To honor Pat’s memory, the family suggests enjoying a Happy Hour with your friends and family or donating to one of the following organizations that meant a lot to her.

The education scholarship of the Virginia Peninsula Chapter of the Military Officers Association

VIP – MOAA Scholarship

PO BOX 6463

Williamsburg, VA. 23188

The Albuquerque Assistance League general fund

PO Box 35910

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87176-5910

Through their website: assistanceleague.org/albuquerque