Faber, Emmy Eaton
FABER, Emmy Lou Eaton
Emmy Lou Eaton Faber entered into the Joy of Everlasting life on January 12, 2021.
Born in Utica N.Y. in 1925 Emmy Lou moved with her family to New York City as a child and later moved to Hackensack N.J. graduating from Bogota High where she met her future husband Air Force pilot Theodore "Ted" Faber. Emmy Lou received her Registered Nursing degree from Patterson State School of Nursing in 1947. Emmy Lou and Ted were married in 1949. They enjoyed married life together for almost 60 years until his death in 2007. Ted and her sons never for a moment doubted that Emmy Lou was the best thing that ever happened in their lives.
After a distinguished career in the Air force where Ted saw service in WWII and Korea and twice received the Distinguished Flying Cross the family was stationed at various locations throughout North America. Ever true to her love of nursing she frequently volunteered in the nursing auxiliary at several base hospitals. In 1966 Ted retired from the Air Force and accepted a position in Flying Safety at Lockheed. Later that same year Ted and Emmy Lou brought their family to Atlanta. Eager to return to nursing Emmy Lou accepted a nursing position with Emory University Hospital and then in 1969 at Northside Hospital as one of the nurses who helped open Northside.
As noted by Charles M. Silverstein M.D. in his book "First on The Hill-The Founding and Early days of Northside Hospital …" Emmy Lou was "so good at everything she did she was persuaded to become its [Northside's] long-time Director of Education" and he wrote that on her retirement in 1990 "the assessment that Emmy Lou was a woman for all seasons proved correct, and eighteen years later the Auxiliary gave a special award to " The Nurse Who Made the Difference" .( p.71) On her retirement The Wellness Committee of Northside Hospital came to the same conclusion when it observed in their special award to her that Emmy Lou was …"The Employee who has done the most over the years to promote Health and Wellness "at Northside Hospital.
Emmy Lou was the driving force in the opening of the hospital, not only responsible for patient education and specialty program education (at one time she had 26 prenatal instructors alone) but her responsibilities also included new employee orientation, all media (design and content), the Northside paper(("Pacemaker") Physician newsletter, workshops. sitting on the Institutional Review Board, starting the medical library and getting the Auxiliary up and running to name just a few. In the 1970's during a nurse shortage she was even asked to help with recruiting when the CEO asked her with the Director of Nursing to go to Manila in the Philippines to bring back RNs to help staff the hospital. That effort was successful, and many remained for years some working until their retirement.
Today Northside Hospital is the largest baby hospital in the United States thanks in no small way to Emmy Lou's efforts.
While working full time at Northside she received her BS in Nursing from Ogelthorpe University in 1975 and Master in Community Health from Emory University in 1979. Emmy Lou seemed to be in school all the time which was a lesson that was not lost on her sons.
She was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society of Nursing in 1980 and served in various positions with many healthcare organizations during her career. She also received numerous awards recognizing her tireless efforts to improve healthcare education at Northside and in Georgia. In 1990 she retired from Northside to spend more time with her family and travelling with Ted. Emmy Lou also continued her nursing career teaching for a year at Morris Brown College and serving on The Northside Hospital Foundation until her health would no longer permit in 2010.
While working full time at Northside Emmy Lou supported Ted in his at least twice a year worldwide travels for Lockheed which usually lasted six weeks at a time briefing the air force units of most countries on the capabilities of the C-130 which he flew until his retirement from the Air Force .Of her many accomplishments Emmy Lou was also very proud of serving in the nurse cadet corps during WW2 and as a career military spouse and the challenges that entailed with Teds' deployments and many moves until Ted retired from the Air Force.
During this time, she also managed to raise three sons encouraging them in Scouting, sports and eventually being a role model for their pursuit of their various professions. Emmy Lou especially loved sailing with Ted and her three sons on Lake Lanier and for over 30 years taking them to the Peachtree Road Race and cheering them on from the lawn of St. Phillips Cathedral. Even though she had a lot of demands on her time Emmy Lou always put Ted and the boys first and created a lifetime of memories for them. Emmy Lou tried in her own way to make each of them feel special and because of that Emmy Lou was, of course, very special to her family and those that knew her. Her unwavering support and encouragement for Ted and the boys would continue throughout her life and Emmy Lou would be the physical, emotional and spiritual foundation of her family throughout her life. Any success her family enjoyed in life was due in a large part to her devotion to them. One of her favorite sayings was I will "hold the fort "and she always did.
Emmy Lou often spoke fondly of her mother Agnes and father Tom Eaton and her brothers and sisters and growing up in a very loving and caring home. Emmy Lou remained very close to her sisters Enid and Mitzi throughout her life visiting them and their families as often as possible. She was very proud of her family and they were all very special to her. Emmy Lou particularly enjoyed her nieces and nephews Dee, Lynn, Kim, Wendy, Kristen, Jeffrey, Steve, Doug and Rusty.
Emmy Lou was also very close to Ted's side of the family enjoying many trips to visit his mother Julia and sister Ellen and husband Charles "Scotty" Koenig and their children Julia, Kevin and Keith who Ted and she were very fond of.
Every nook and cranny of her home contains pictures, art or memorabilia of family and friends.
Emmy Lou and Ted joined St. Phillips Cathedral after they arrived in Atlanta until they moved to Alpharetta when they joined St. David's Episcopal Church where both were active members. Emmy Lou was also active in Daughters of The King and tried to live their motto her whole life in everything she did. Emmy Lou and her family would live on their small farm in Alpharetta that she picked out for over 40 years ("Honalea" from "Puff the Magic Dragon " the favorite song of Betsy). In her spare time, she could be found in her garden, feeding the horses or on her porch with Ted and the boys. She was an avid reader with a focus on the Bible and spiritual literature as well as nutrition.
She was preceded in death by her mother Agnes and Father Tom, by her brothers Tom Jr., and Charles and by her adored daughter Elizabeth Anne "Betsy". Emmy Lou is survived by her sons Christopher, Theodore Tom and Timothy and by her sisters Enid, Mitzi and her many nephews and nieces and Julia and Keith Koenig and their families. She is also survived by the many friends she cherished at Northside Hospital and St. David's as well as in the memories of those who knew and loved her.
After a lifetime of wonderful Christmas,' Easters 'and other holidays, family trips and making the birthdays of her husband and sons very special (including telephone calls at 5 am so she could be the first to wish you happy birthday), Thank you mom seems so inadequate but until we are reunited with her, We love you Emmy Lou, We love you mom and We will always be very proud of you will have to do. We leave her for now with the comfort of knowing she is in the arms of Ted, Betsy and the Angels.
Emmy Lou will be loved forever by her family and will be missed dearly.
Emmy Lou truly was an inspiration and despite hardships thrown in her path including the death of her young daughter she persevered and lived a life worthy of saying "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith…" (2Timothy 4:7). Not unlike how she lived her life, her last request was to "take care of everyone and be sweet".
Emmy Lou made a difference at Northside Hospital and she made a difference in our family and with her friends. She was a wonderful wife, mother and friend. We can only add Thank you Mom and Dad for a wonderful life and do not worry we will all be home soon! LOVE Always and Forever, Chris, Tom and Tim.
Emmy Lou will be laid to rest close to Betsy, her mother and father and next to Ted in Forest Hills Cemetery in Utica, N.Y. and graveside services will be officiated by Grace Episcopal church where she attended with her family as a child.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to St David Episcopal Church, Grace Episcopal Church, St Jude Children's Hospital or World Vision.
