Virginia Janet Farthing

Virginia Farthing passed away on February 9, 2022 at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital due to complications from a recent acute Leukemia diagnosis. She is survived by her son Marc, daughter-in-law Mindy, her three grandchildren Dashel, Bodie, & Tessa and her sister Carol Giegerich.

Virginia, or “Ginny” as she was known in her early years, was born on May 22, 1941 in Connecticut and raised in Nutley, New Jersey. After graduating college, she went on to live and work in New York City and later San Francisco. She loved to travel and spent her life visiting countless countries and regions around the world.

Along the way, she met and married Marcel.  They had a son together who was born in San Rafael, CA in 1975. After living in France and Belgium for a number of years, they settled back in Northern California. Eventually they divorced, and she went on to raise Marc as a single mother until he graduated high school. Years later she met and married Guy Farthing who shared her love of travel. They went on many adventures together until his passing in 2016.

Virginia then moved to Santa Barbara to be closer to her grandchildren, whom she loved and cherished spending time with. As a new resident of Santa Barbara, she quickly got involved in many social activities including the Newcomers group, SB Art Museum, CAMA, and Music Academy of the West while volunteering to be on as many committees as she could juggle. Virginia was a very outgoing, passionate and energetic person who loved to be active, meet new people and experience all that life had to offer. She truly embraced a “joie de vivre” in everything she did and will be greatly missed.

There will be a memorial service to celebrate her life at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara on April 3rd at 3pm.