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- Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)
June 18, 1995
LANCASTER - Lee Pierce "Bill" Farnsworth, 73, of 35 Pine Hill Road, a longtime engineer, conservationist, regional planner and civic leader, died Friday at home after a short illness.
He leaves his wife of 47 years, Phyllis (Spettigue) Farnsworth; two sons, John A. and James W. Farnsworth, both of Lancaster; two sisters, Nancy Barlow of West Medway and Barbara Chisholm of Northboro; nephews and nieces. He was born in Lancaster, son of Custer L. and Zana (Pierce) Farnsworth, and lived here most of his life. He graduated from Lancaster High School and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He was a Navy veteran of World War II.
Mr. Farnsworth was on the technical staff at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington for 27 years, retiring in 1984. He previously worked at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Corp. in East Hartford, Conn.; Chance-Vought Aircraft Co. in Stratford, Conn., and Grand Prairie, Texas; and Goodyear Aircraft Co. in Akron, Ohio. He was a registered professional engineer in Massachusetts. Mr. Farnsworth was a member and board director of the Nashua River Watershed Association, which he jointly founded with Marion Stoddart in 1969, and served on several of its committees.
He served for many years on the local Zoning Board of Appeals, School Committee, Highway Safety Committee, Planning Board, Conservation Commission, and Open Space & Greenway Committee. He was past chairman of the Board of Selectmen and the local Board of Public Welfare. He was a longtime special police officer and Civil Defense deputy.
He was instrumental in creating and staffing the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, and was a consultant to the local Historic District Study Committee.
Mr. Farnsworth was named by the Lancaster Board of Selectmen as a member of the Airport Steering Committee, later the Airport Coalition and the Coalition for an Integrated Transportation Plan.
Mr. Farnsworth served on a technical committee that reviewed the Superfund cleanup of Fort Devens. He was named by the state secretary of environmental affairs to the citizens Advisory Committee for the Redevelopment of Fort Devens. He was named by the statewide Joint Boards of Selectmen to the Round Table Committee for the Massachusetts Aviation Commission's review of the need for a second major airport.
Mr. Farnsworth held three patents in mechanical engineering and wrote articles in several professional publications. He had been a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics since 1948.
He was a member of First Church of Christ, Unitarian, and Everett H. Minigan Post 96, American Legion. He was a player and manager of several sports, and once played on the New England Championship softball team.
In 1990, Mr. Farnsworth received the Regional Conservation Award from the Nashua River Watershed Association and the Presidential Citation from Atlantic Union College for community service. He was later honored by the college and the trustees of Dr. Franklin Perkins School for community service. In March, he received an Environmental Service Award from the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions.
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1921 - 1995 (73 years)
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