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John Farnham Obituary
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He was a loved Husband, Father, Grandfather, and brother as well as a devoted teacher and hockey coach. He was born in Winchester, Massachusetts, grew up in Reading, Massachusetts, and resided in Rochester, NY for the last 30 years of his life. He graduated high school from Avon Old Farms School, in Avon, Connecticut and attended West Point for one year and then transferred to Rochester Institute of Technology in 1987. While there, he was a defenseman on the RIT Tigers Ice Hockey team graduating in 1991. He started his teaching career in 1994 at Hilton High School, NY, teaching U.S. history. In 1995, alongside Chris Monfiletto, he began coaching the Hilton Cadets Ice Hockey team and served for many years in that position. He earned his master's degree at SUNY Brockport, graduating in 1996.
John was an avid reader and had a true love for books, sports, and teaching. He was a die-hard Red Sox fan and those who knew him can still hear his voice reciting stats in his Boston accent. His love for the classroom and how he brought history alive left a lifelong impact on so many of his students. He was a man who enjoyed the simple things in life and found much joy reminiscing about his lifelong friendships. He was a selfless and generous man who made friends wherever he went. His laughter and sense of humor will be greatly missed. May he finally be at peace.
Flowers will be accepted, or memorial donations may be made to the Veterans Outreach Center at 447 South Ave, Rochester, NY 14620. Their website is www.veteransoutreachcenter.org. In the drop-down menu under "Donations," you can donate in memory of John.
Visiting Hours will be held from 1 pm to 3 pm on Saturday, August 23rd at Bartolomeo & Perotto Funeral Home at 1141 Vintage Lane, Rochester, NY 14626. A Memorial Service will immediately follow at 3 pm.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
1 Entry
Brian Mahns
August 20, 2025
Mr. Farnham is the reason I became a social studies teacher. He was a great teacher with a great sense of humor and stories to truly inform and entertain his students. When Mr. D´Augustine would come in and riff about history and anything and everything with Farnham it was always a great class. Even his study hall is a fond memory for me with him quizzing us on classic rock songs.
I always talk about his influence on me becoming a teacher annually with my students. He will be missed by so many former students and even kids who didn´t have the privilege of having him as a teacher.
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