Roberta D French

Roberta Doris French passed away peacefully in her sleep on August 15, 2023 at her farm in Sandy Creek, NY. She is survived by her son Charles  who made it possible for Roberta’s deep desire to live out her last years at home on the farm near her beloved horse, Coco. Her niece, Margaret Gavin, who helped to start the blueberry farm that locals know and love, was there for Roberta until the end, talking with her regularly and helping Charles to manage care. Margaret has since passed on, quite unexpectedly. 

Many locals knew Roberta as their horse riding instructor or the founder of the organic Blueberry Farm on Ellisburg road. Very few would remember the days when her Standardbred stallion stood at stud at Sandshu Farm, where she raised Standardbred and Morgan horses. Some may recall the days of seeing her long-maned Morgan horses and many riding friends trotting down the dirt roads of Sand and Wood Road, or riding over to Caster Field for a local training show or over to the Sandy Creek Fairgrounds for the County Fair. She founded a local chapter of the United States Pony Club which gave opportunity for young people who otherwise couldn’t afford a horse of their own. She and her husband Dan French, deceased, were members of the choir at Sandy Creek United Methodist and owned a local architect and engineering office. 

Roberta was born in Herkimer, NY in 1929, daughter of Ruth and Ralph Farnham. She loved horses from an early age and was already training horses by the age of 18. Pictured here is her with her horse Colonel. Roberta was a bold and strong woman. She wanted to ride horses, but her father influenced her to have another career to support the horse riding so she attended Alfred University for Fine Arts. She later combined her artistic skill with a practical application…architectural and engineering design. 

She was one of the first women to pass a tough physical and tactical tests to become a certified Ski Patrol member at Toggenburg mountain. In her 50s she started learning a new form of horseback riding, Dressage, that took incredible discipline. She bred and trained her own Warmblood horse and eventually was able to work and compete at national competitions at the Prix St. George level. In her 60’s she joined an Engineering firm in Watertown, after her husband passed away. In her 70s she took up scuba diving. In her 80s she suffered two traumatic injuries on the farm, both of which she diligently spent years recovering her mobility from. 

Those who were close to her remember her sharp witted humor, her generosity, her rugged practicality and her solid friendship and her excellent horsemanship, not to mention her blueberries.

Donations in her memory can be made to the horse rescue Rosemary Farm https://www.rosemaryfarm.org

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Roberta D French, please visit our floral store.