Marcile Speicher Farnham

MISSOULA – Marcile Speicher Farnham quietly passed to Heaven on Friday morning Dec. 21, 2012, from natural causes complicated by Alzheimer's disease. She was 93 and under the loving care of her husband of 65 years, David Farnham, the staff at Edgewood Vista Assisted Living, and Partners Hospice.

Marcile was born on Nov. 20, 1919, in Elkhart, Ind., of Daniel J. and Florence M. Speicher. She had one older sister, Veda, and a younger brother, Gerald; both died in childhood. She grew up in Elkhart, and attended the Elkhart Public Schools and the Elkhart Business College, and later North Central College, in Naperville, Ill., where she met her future husband. After David returned from the war, they were married on June 21, 1947, in Elkhart. While helping David attend medical school at Northwestern University, Marcile was an executive secretary at Barcus, Kindred & Company, and at Midwest Service Corporation in Chicago. Marcile occasionally joked that she had earned a medical degree in all but certificate.

After David's graduation and residency, they moved to Walla Walla, Wash., where her two sons, Paul and Dean, were born. The family then moved to Helena, and finally to Missoula in 1962. Marcile was a dedicated homemaker, and felt her most important job was to nurture their sons and make a family. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, singing in the choir for many years, and enjoyed being a part of the Missoula Symphony Chorale. Marcile was also very artistic, liked to paint, sew, knit and play the piano and organ. She was an avid reader. She, along with her husband, maintained an extensive garden for several decades, and was passionate about harvesting, preserving and sharing the bounty. She loved children and regretted that she had no grandchildren of her own.

Marcile is survived by her husband, David of Missoula; their sons, Paul (Lisa) of Novi, Mich., and Dean (Hye Yong) of Redmond, Wash.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 25 at the First Presbyterian Church, 235 S. Fifth St. in Missoula. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be sent to the First Presbyterian Church of Missoula, Partners Hospice, 2687 Palmer St. Suite B , Missoula, or other charity of the reader's choice.

Read Marcile Farnham's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.