Charles Peter Farnham

Born December 30 1931, in Cleveland, OH, to Ralph Everett Farnham, Jr. and Helena Otto Farnham, he grew up close to Nela Park, OH, where his father worked for General Electric Lighting.

Starting at the age of 14, he spent 2 summers at Culver Military Acadamy in Indiana. Assigned to a horse troop, he learned about horsemanship, loyalty, and trust, barring one incident where his horse “Black Diamond” ran amok through a parade formation.

A graduate of Brush High School, class of 1950, Pete attended many reunions including their 60th in 2010. He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1954, as a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

After college, a potential career in forestry was begun with graduate studies at Oregon State University, but this was cut short by a forklift accident which nearly resulted in the amputation of his left foot. The foot was saved, but tramping about the forest seemed impractical, so he took a sales job with General Electric back in Cleveland.

Pete met Phyllis Walters while at OSU, and they were married in 1956. She went with him when GE transferred him to Fresno, CA, to manage that territory. In 1963, his boss asked him if he knew anyone interested in an engineering position in Seattle, WA. With encouragement from his wife, he answered, “Yeah. Me!”

Upon exit from GE in 1976 he started his own company, Lighting Technology, Inc. Here he consulted on energy management and audits on over 450 buildings in the northwest, including the Space Needle, the Port of Seattle headquarters and the Capitol buildings in Olympia. During this time he designed and manufactured the “Retroflector”, a way of reducing energy costs of fluorescent lights by 50%.

His final working years were spent with Seattle City Light, conducting energy audits to help customers reduce their energy bills.

Over the years he served as President of the Puget Sound Region of the Illuminating Engineering Society, President of the Association of Energy Engineers Pacific Northwest Chapter, and President of the National Society of Professional Engineers, Seattle Chapter.

In retirement, he loved to travel, taking trips to Antarctica, Alaska, Israel, various Civil War battlefields and his ancestral home in Richfield, OH.

Pete is survived by his loving children William Thorn, Jr. and wife Debra, of Cleveland; Rebecca Thorn; Jeannette Elmore and husband Richard; Robert Thorn and wife Rachel; Patricia Wieland and husband Leonard; and seven grandchildren.

Preceded in death by his wife Phyllis in 1977, Pete found new love and married Shirley Thorn (Tinsley). They blended their families and spent the next 35 years together until her death in October 2013. “Guod” was reunited with “Pengua” on their 36th anniversary. His son, David Farnham, passed away in January 2013, and brother Ralph in 2009.

A memorial service will be held on April 12th at 3 o'clock PM at

Woodinville Community United Methodist Church

17110 140th Ave NE

Woodinville, WA 98072

Pastor Ron Davis officiating.

Interment will be in a private ceremony at Sunset Hills Memorial Park, Bellevue, WA.

Arrangements under the direction of Sunset Hills Funeral Home, Bellevue, WA.