Beloved husband, father and grandfather
WAKEFIELD –– Robert J. Farrell, age 87, of Skowhegan, Maine, formerly of Wakefield, died on Sunday, July 27.
He was born in Philadelphia, PA on April 26, 1938 and was the son of the late Joseph and Marie (Parker) Farrell.
Robert was raised and educated in Philadelphia where he graduated from St. Joseph’s University and was an avid follower of the Philadelphia sports teams. He married his wife in 1965 and followed the computer industry to Route 128, settling in Wakefield to raise their family. He worked for many years on computers at Honeywell until he reinvented himself as a software engineer working for Raytheon after the decline of mainframe computing.
Robert loved coaching sports and was active in youth baseball and hockey. He attended all of his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events. He eventually switched his allegiance from Philly to all of the Boston sports teams and enjoyed Boston sports radio. After many years in Wakefield, they moved to Peabody before ultimately moving to Maine.
He was the beloved husband of the late Mary (Lilly) Farrell, with whom he shared a wonderful marriage. He was the loving father of Steven Farrell and his wife Veronica of Wakefield, Daniel Farrell and his wife Katherine Coutu-Farrell of Skowhegan, ME and the step-father of the late Diane Logue. He was the brother of the late Elizabeth Murphy and Joseph Farrell of PA. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Matthew, Lily, Krystal, Kassandra, Adam and Amber; as well as many great grandchildren.
His funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Joseph Church, 173 Albion St., Wakefield on Thursday, August 7 at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Interment to follow at Lakeside Cemetery, Wakefield. Arrangements are in the care of the McDonald Funeral Home, Wakefield.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Alzheimer’s Association, 309 Waverly Oaks Rd., Waltham MA 02452.