John Farnham

DR. JOHN E. FARNHAM BURLINGTON - Dr. John E. Farnham died peacefully on March 16, 2015, in the University of Vermont Medical Center with his family by his side. Jack was born in Burlington on Jan. 2, 1930. He graduated from Cathedral High School in 1947, and Norwich University in 1951 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology. While at Norwich, he received several awards, including Distinguished Military Student and Corps Adjutant. He served two years of combat duty in the U.S. Army, during the Korean Conflict, as Company Commander in the 25th Infantry Division Reconnaissance Unit. He later received a Doctorate of Dental Medicine from the College of Dental Medicine at Tufts University, where he was a member of the Honor Society and Class President. He did his residency in oral surgery at Boston City Hospital. In Boston, he met and married Patricia Anne Reilly on Aug. 10, 1957. Back in Vermont, Jack was appointed as an assistant attending in dentistry at Mary Fletcher Hospital and subsequently received an appointment to the clinical faculty in the UVM College of Medicine. In 1968, he was named Clinical Associate Professor. In 1972, he was promoted to Clinical Professor and Chair of the Section of Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. In 1963, he established a dental residency program at Mary Fletcher Hospital, and for decades served as Program Coordinator and Director. He also served as Director of the Burlington Dental Clinic, which provided dental services to thousands of patients. Jack served on numerous committees and held numerous chairs at Mary Fletcher Hospital, Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, and Fanny Allen Hospital. In addition, he was a Trustee of Fanny Allen Hospital, and was first president of the medical staff of MCHV. Jack served on multiple committees of all the major professional societies in dentistry. He was president of the New England Society of Oral Surgeons and a delegate to the Association of Dental Schools. He was former chair of the Hospital Inspection Committee of the Vermont State Dental Society. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Vermont Cancer Society and was a consultant in forensic odontology, representing Vermont, on the Association of Dental Consultants. Pat and Jack raised four sons in whom Jack instilled a deep love and respect for the outdoors. Jack was especially fond of Lake Champlain. Surviving Jack are Pat; and sons, Jonathan and his daughters, Lillian, Olivia and Madeline; Joseph and his wife, Manon, and their son, Christopher, and daughter, Sarah; Daniel and his wife, Jill, and their son, William; Matthew and his companion, Apryl, and her children, William and Lucy. Jack was predeceased by his siblings, Charles, Richard and Mary Jane; and Pat's sisters, Marilyn and Kathleen. Pat and sons wish to thank everyone at Burlington Health and Rehabilitation for their care and attention to Jack for the past year. Visiting hours will be on Friday, March 20, 2015, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the LaVigne Funeral Home, 132 Main St., in Winooski. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, March 21, 2015, at 11 a.m. at Christ the King Catholic Church on Locust Street in Burlington. Interment will follow at Resurrection Park Cemetery in South Burlington. Online condolences can be shared with the family at www. lavignefuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jack's memory can be made to WoundedWarriorProject.org; and/or Rainy Day Fund, c/o Burlington Fire Department, 136 South Winooski Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401.