Emily Louise Navarre

Emily Louise Navarre, fondly known as "Em" to her family and friends, was a loving and caring daughter, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. She left this world suddenly and unexpectedly on July 20, 2023, at age 50.

She was born to Michael and Carroll Navarre on August 16, 1972, in Ventura, California. At four months of age her family relocated to North Ogden, Utah, where she attended Bates Elementary School. In 1984 her family relocated again to Santa Maria, CA where she attended Lakeview Junior High School and St. Joseph's High School. She graduated from St. Joseph's High School in 1990.

Emily then moved to San Rafael, CA to attend and work at Dominican University. She graduated from Dominican in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in English with a writing emphasis. She was in the process of working on her MBA. In San Rafael, Emily was married to Philip Slater and later returned to live with her parents in Hanford, CA. She worked alongside her mom at Coalinga/Huron Valley Health Clinic and volunteered for the Kings County Animal Shelter at the Pet Adoption Center. She was just starting a pet care and sitting business in Packwood, WA named Missypants Critter Sitting (www.missypants.com).

Emily was an accomplished writer having completed several IT instructional manuals and had dreams of writing a book detailing her experiences following a brain aneurysm in 2011. She loved to read and as a child her favorite book was the dictionary. As an adult she excelled at crossword puzzles and was the king of Scrabble.

Emily was also an accomplished musician playing the flute, piccolo, oboe and recorder. She was working on learning how to play the bagpipes and Didgeridoo. She played alongside her dad in the Kings Symphony Orchestra as well as the choir at St. Brigid’s Catholic Church. Her love of music led her to form a choir group at the Packwood Community Presbyterian Church she attended. She taught music and loved to sing. Emily loved music and had a broad love of all kinds of music, everything from classical to hard rock.

Emily loved football and was a loyal Raiders and Detroit Lions fan. She was also a passionate animal lover and leaves behind her two fur babies, Lucius and Boris. She would often give names to critters and creatures who crossed her path, such as Bixby the toad, Alphonse the elk and the chickens at her home in Packwood she fondly called “the girls”.

Emily most recently fought and beat Follicular Lymphoma and had just rung the bell in celebration of her completed cancer treatment and remission. Emily fought her cancer with fierce determination and kept a brave and positive attitude, even while going through the difficult and painful side effects of chemo. While undergoing chemotherapy, she would listen to her fight songs from Lenny Kravitz or Metallica.

Emily loved to be silly and have fun, she loved to laugh and giggle, and she smiled so big that most times her eyes would squint. She was exceptionally smart and famous for her puns and quick wit and when she hugged, you knew how much she loved you. She was a lover of simple things and a believer in kindness. The world was a better place with Emily in it and she is loved and will be deeply missed by her family and friends. Heaven has gained an amazing angel and Emily will watch over all whom she loved and cared for. She will be the stage manager of the heavens and when God puts on a show of sunsets, moon dances, flowers, pine trees, kitties or frog ponds, we’ll know Emily orchestrated the beauty and we will be comforted.

Emily is survived by her parents, Michael and Carroll Navarre of Hanford, CA, sister Julie (Navarre) Sandland of Rosamond, CA, sister Michelle Navarre of Olympia, WA, nephew Zachary Sandland of California City, CA, niece Danielle Sandland of Rosamond, CA, and numerous cousins and extended family. She is preceded in death by her partner John Cornell of Packwood, WA, her aunt Carol Seck of East Bethel, MN, her uncle Donovan Seck of East Bethel, MN and both maternal and paternal grandparents of Detroit, MI.

A worship service will be held at the Packwood Community Presbyterian Church in Packwood, WA on Sunday August 13, 2023, at 10:30 am followed by a memorial service at 12:30 pm. To watch the live-stream, please log on to www.dignitymemorial.com and search in the obituaries for Emily Navarre for access to the service on Facebook Live.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Brigid’s Catholic Church in Hanford, CA on Wednesday August 16, 2023, at 10:00 am. A celebration of life and birthday party will be held at St. Brigid’s Youth Center at 11:00 am following the mass.

Location addresses can be found listed under the obituary of Emily Navarre at www.dignitymemorial.com

In lieu of flowers or gifts, donations in Emily's name can be made to any of the following organizations:

Brain Aneurysm Foundation (www.bafound.org)

The Follicular Lymphoma Foundation (www.theflf.org)

Friends of Kings County Animal Services (www.friendsofkcas.org)

Kings Symphony Orchestra (www.kingssymphony.org)

Packwood Community Presbyterian Church (P.O. Box 506, Packwood, WA, 98361)