Ella Farnsworth was a farm girl from Whitney, Idaho. Born on September 9, 1925, she was the youngest child of A.C. and Ella Hull with one sister (Lorna) and six brothers (A.C, Tom, Tuff, Keith, Russell and Dean). She was variously Ella, Ella Louise or sometimes just Pinky or Queenie. She was a freckle-faced, red-headed rodeo queen who went to Idaho State University and then, on a dare, taught school in a one-room schoolhouse in Treasureton, Idaho. She graduated from the Brigham Young University where she met and was engaged to Wilford “Bill” Farnsworth, the love of her life. When Bill was called to serve a mission for the LDS church, Ella taught school and served a mission in Hawaii. Following their missions, she and Bill were married in the Logan Temple and spent the next 40 years of their lives working, serving and raising their family in various corners of the world. Nonetheless, whether in Montevideo, Rio, Mexico City, Summit, Frankfurt, Manila, London, Los Angeles, San Juan or Arizona, Whitney, Idaho was never far from her heart.
A faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ella served alongside of Bill on missions for their church in Puerto Rico, and Mexico. She had a great (and jealous) passion for the Relief Society and served her sisters in Uruguay, Brazil, Mexico, England, Germany, the Philippines and even in the United States. Ella was always deeply enmeshed in the community, whether establishing book clubs, volunteering in hospitals, serving on PTA and school boards, or raising funds for scholarships, hospitals and orphanages. She had a gift of making others feel comfortable in her presence – friends, family, the discouraged and downtrodden or the little child. She loved God, she loved those she served and those she served with, loved her brothers and sisters and loved Bill, her children and their families. She is survived by her three children, Deney (Ric Paul), Marty (Marci) and Craig (Carla), and by her 11 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at the Mesa Kimball East Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (4640 E. Holmes Avenue, Mesa, Arizona 85206) at 10:30 am on Tuesday, May 27, 2014. In lieu of flowers, the family would encourage donations either to Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix, AZ or The Perpetual Education Fund of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
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