ELLIOTT C. FARNSWORTH

1929 - 2012
Elliott Cherington Farnsworth, a pioneer in medical electronics and urgent cardiac patient care, passed away in Alameda, California on Tuesday January 24th at the age of 82. He was co-founder and president of Corbin-Farnsworth in the Silicon Valley and was responsible for the first production defibrillator and external pacemaker.

Born in Stanford, California on March 24, 1929 to Stanford professors Paul and Helen Farnsworth, Elliott later studied there, earning a BA in Economics and an MBA, Masters in Business Administration. Elliott married fellow Stanford grad Jacqueline Binns in the Stanford Chapel in June of 1950. Over time they had five children: Roger, Donald, Barbara, Scott, and Wendy.

Corbin-Farnsworth, co-founded by Elliott in 1960, was located across Page Mill Road from Hewlett-Packard for many years, and pioneered defibrillators, pacemakers, heart monitors, and other medical electronic devices. As a part of his work Elliott taught cardiopulmonary resuscitation to doctors when the practice was still in its infancy. Corbin-Farnsworth equipment was written about in Life magazine and has been displayed at the Smithsonian Institute. Elliott was mentioned in William H. Draper's 2011 book "The Startup Game" and featured prominently in Tom Corbin's 1994 book "Harthrob", his story of the pioneering days of Corbin-Farnsworth.

In 1970 the family moved to Chicago, Illinois where Elliott created Abbott Medical Electronics Company for Abbott Laboratories. In 1986 Jacqueline and Elliott returned to the San Francisco Bay Area in his home state of California, where he spent his final years running the family's miniatures manufacturing wholesale business.

Avid dancers, Elliott and Jacqueline were regulars at events at Bay Area clubs including The Home Club, Penguins Dance Club, and Rossmoor Cotillion. A lover of travel and the outdoors, a voracious consumer of current events, and a devoted family man Elliott is survived by wife Jacqueline, four children (Don and wife Era, Barbara and husband John Lillich, Scott and wife Karen, and Wendy), two nieces, five grandchildren, sister Susan Caron, and sister-in-law Georgia Bassen and husband Paul. Elliott was predeceased by son Roger. His positive spirit and infectious love of people will be missed by all.

A private family memorial service is planned. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Stanford University or Alameda Hospital, 2070 Clinton Avenue, Alameda, California 94501