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Oct. 27, 1984 – April 22, 2023

Emily Lenschow, 38, formerly of Cartersville, passed away peacefully at home in Richmond, on Saturday, April 22, after many brave years of fighting a long term illness that stole her body and her voice, but never dimmed her courage, her heart, her mind or her spirit. Without a doubt, her first stop was the Rainbow Bridge, where she was greeted by her beloved Komondors, Brandy and Ware; Border Collies, Barkley and Manse; her childhood dog, Sugar Britches, and a lifetime of pets and animals. Emily grew up in DeKalb County, Illinois and Harford County, Maryland, where she was very active in 4H and livestock activities, raising dairy goats and, later, sheep. Her sheep remained an integral part of her entire life.

Always fearless and brave, whether in sport, the courtroom, on the farm or battling this unrelenting disease, Emily never took the easy route. She was the tiniest regular player on her women’s rugby team and the first ever female wrestler on her high school wrestling team. Once Emily’s mind was made up, there was no stopping her. Her tenacity and determination resulted in scholarship offers from some of the first women’s NCAA D1 programs in the country in both sports.

While studying “To Kill a Mockingbird” in her high school English class, Emily decided to become a lawyer. She attended Old Dominion University, and later, the University of Richmond School of Law as a John Marshall Scholar. A few years later, she opened her own firm in Cartersville, specializing in criminal defense. Though diminutive in stature, she was always a force to be reckoned with and was never afraid to face challenges or to use her words, her persistence and her logic to convince others to see things from a different point of view. One of the favorite compliments she ever received in the courtroom was from a seasoned attorney who said to her, “Young lady, watching you try a case always reminds me of when I used to watch Muhammad Ali box. You float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” Outside the courtroom and before becoming ill, Emily could typically be found working her Border Collies, managing her flock of Border Cheviots or showing her beloved Komondor, Ware. The true light of her life, though, was her little girl, Ellzey, who already shares many of the same traits that made her mommy the amazing young woman that she was. Even though Emily was very ill for a very long time, she and Ellzey share a special bond that cannot be broken just because her mommy is no longer on this Earth, but is instead, watching over her now and always from Heaven.

She now joins her father, David Adham; two sets of loving grandparents, Leroy (Dorothy) Larson and Solyman(Eshravieh)Adhami; her uncle, Hamid Adhami and many very special loved ones on the other side.

Left behind to cherish her memory her are precious daughter, Ellzey Thompson; her brother, Ben Larson; her mom, Mary Larson (all of Richmond); her grandparents, Willard (Marge) Lenschow of Burlington, Illinois and her beloved Border Collie, Case. Emily will also be fondly remembered by extended family in Illinois and California, along with her many wonderful friends across the U.S. and Canada.

Emily will be laid to rest in a private family service. She has requested no flowers. Instead, she asks that you do a good deed to honor her memory. She will be smiling down on you extra big if that good deed helps animals or children. Emily has chosen to donate her brain and tissues for research. It is her hope that her donation may help scientists and researchers find a cure or a treatment to help others fight this dreadful disease in the future.

Donations may be made in Emily’s memory to any of the following: The Brain Donor Project (https:// braindonorproject.org/support-us/); Columbia University Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center (https://www.columbia-lyme.org/make-gift); Shriners Hospitals for Children (https://lovetotherescue.org/memorial-gifts/) or Green Dogs Unleashed (https://greendogsunleashed.org/donate)

Special thanks to our amazing hospice and home care teams from Hospice of Virginia, James River Hospice and Executive Care. We are not sure how we would have been able to navigate all of this without your care and your assistance, but most of all, your love.