James T. Farrell

1918 - 2016

James T. Farrell obituary, 1918-2016, West Hartford, CT

BORN

1918

DIED

2016

FUNERAL HOME

Molloy Funeral Home - West Hartford

906 Farmington Avenue

West Hartford, Connecticut

James Farrell Obituary



James Thomas "Shorty" Farrell, son of the late Robert John and Lauretta Mackin Farrell passed away on August 28, 2016. Jim was born on August 14, 1918 in Hartford, Connecticut. He was predeceased by his wife, Gerda and is survived by four children, James Thomas Farrell III and his wife Nancy, New Britain, CT, Lynn Farrell Swain, Bozeman, MT, Douglas Adams Farrell and his wife Caroline, Northboro, MA, Ann Farrell Gallagher and her husband, Paul, Simsbury, CT. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren, James Thomas Farrell IV, Dr. Amy Farrell Ford, Farrell Swain Gerges, Adam Thomas Swain, Jenny L. Farrell, Robert James Farrell, John D. Farrell, Kelly Farrell, Mary Farrell, Paul Gallagher Jr., Trevor Gallagher and two step grandchildren Leah Pina and Darren Bruno and five great grandchildren, Jack Thomas Swain, Hayes Thomas Gerges, Walker James Swain, Emma Farrell, and Gray James Gerges; and three step great grandchildren, Dalton, Jaxon and Harper Pina. He attended local schools, and graduated from Kingswood-Oxford School in 1937, where he was Class President. He played three sports at Kingswood, football, basketball and baseball. He was Captain of the basketball team for two years. He was quarterback of their undefeated football team and was selected to the Connecticut All State Prep School Team. He received the Fenn Athletic Trophy at Kingswood for outstanding scholar athlete. He graduated from Lafayette College in 1941, majoring in Economics. He played three sports in college, football, baseball and basketball and was captain of the basketball team. "Scrapper" was the last surviving member of the starting eleven 1940 undefeated/untied Lafayette football team. During that season Lafayette was the #1 offensive team in the country and was ranked 19th overall in the nation, defeating Army 19-0, where "Scrapper" ran 75 yards for a touchdown. He was selected by the Associated Press as an All-American in 1940. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry, second in the school's history. A loyal supporter of Lafayette football, one of the oldest college football teams in the country, Lafayette hasn't had an undefeated team since 1940! Jim was drafted by the New York Giants, and given a contract by the Mara family who are still part owners of the Giants. Due to the outbreak of World War II, he never played football professionally. He remained a loyal Giants fan his entire life. After graduating from college, he worked for The Travelers Insurance Company from 1941 to 1942, where he met his wife Gerda. They were married during World War II in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. He served as a Lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard Amphibious Corps in the Pacific on the the USS Arthur Middleton. He received seven battle stars for seven assault landings from Tarawa to Okinawa. After the war, he joined "Red" Shepard, his best friend, in the tobacco business. The J.E.Shepard CO. was the largest grower of broadleaf tobacco in the Connecticut Valley. In 1955 NuWay Tobacco Company was formed as a subsidiary of The J.E.Shepard Company. He was Executive Vice President of The J.E.Shepard Company, Executive Vice-President of Shepard-Pola Company and Secretary of the NuWay Tobacco Company. He "retired" when he turned 70, but he really never left and spent the next 25 yrs. going to work to be with his second family, the Shepards. He had some of the best times of his life with Red, Bunny and his wife, Gerda. He loved their children, Tim, Kip, Nancy, Anne and Boo, like they were his own. He was one of the founders of the South Windsor Bank and Trust Company, organized in 1963. He was Chairman of the Board for 15 years until it was sold. "Shorty" organized the first Little League team in South Windsor. He coached and later was President of the newly formed league. He coached Little League in South Windsor and West Hartford for 25 years. He was one of the organizers of Midget Football in West Hartford where he coached for 4 years. In 1978 he was awarded the Junior Chamber Award. In 1984 he was awarded the "Distinguished American Award" by the Northern Connecticut Chapter of The National Foundation Football Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio. In 1989 he was elected to the Lafayette College Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2008, he was elected as one of the "Football Legends" at Lafayette. He was a member of the Squires, The Red Oak Swim Club, and a charter member of the Blast and Cast Club in South Windsor. He was also a member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Jim loved the outdoors and every spring he would go salmon fishing on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada with "Red" Shepard and a gang of friends. The same group would go duck hunting at Merry Meeting Bay in Maine. He belonged to a fishing group in the Squires and would go fishing in the fall and spring for "blues" and stripers, often taking some of his children with him. He was a lifelong tennis player starting his career at Crescent Beach in Niantic. He had a wonderful group of friends that he played tennis with until he was 95. He also loved to ski. Skiing with his whole family was one of his most enjoyable sports. "Shorty" was further honored by Kingswood Oxford School in 2007 by being elected as a charter member of the Hall of Fame. He was also presented Kingswood's "Distinguished Alumni Award" by his lifelong friend and classmate, Rich Fisher. He and his wife Gerda loved to travel and visited 27 countries, but his favorite country was Norway, where Gerda was born. He always said, "there are no other countries with the wonderful beauty of Norway"! In his later years at Seabury, he could often be seen sitting on "his" bench smoking a good cigar, where many residents would stop to chat or sit a spell. He loved the Seabury community, the residents and the staff. He was a lifelong card player and enjoyed playing poker at Seabury on Thursday nights, bridge on Friday nights and practicing with his partners in between. The family wants to extend special thanks to his aide/caregiver and friend, whom he loved, Nelda Wallach. She spent countless hours with him, heard all his stories and loved him liked a father. "Shorty/ Scrapper/ Jim will be remembered as being a true gentleman, scholar, athlete, loving husband, devoted father, mentor and role model. Beloved by his family and friends, he touched many people with his outgoingness, ready smile and a good joke. We were all better for having known him and having had him in our lives. One of Dad's favorite quotes, summed up his philosophy of life, "If I cannot smoke cigars in heaven, I shall not go" -Mark Twain. A celebration of Jim's life will be held at 11am, on September 1, 2016, at St. Francis Assisi, 673 Ellington Rd., South Windsor. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his name to Kingswood-Oxford School, 170 Kingswood Rd., West Hartford, CT 06119. Online expressions of sympathy may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com



Published by Hartford Courant on Aug. 30, 2016.
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4 Entries

I remember fondly how my dad Enoch Pelton, enjoyed seeing Jim at Nu-Way, sharing stories, going to Blast &Cast, and the bank. Your Dad was one of a kind . He will be missed by so many!

Cindy Pelton Bazzano

Cindy Pelton Bazzano

September 6, 2016

,

Cindy Pelton Bazzano

September 6, 2016

What a Man !! What a player !! What a Coach !! What a Dad - Grandfather - Great Grandfather !! What an Everything!!
I was so blessed to have known "Shorty".
May he smoke cigars and watch all the games from above.
God Bless the wonderful Farrell Family.
George "Shorty" Dixon

September 1, 2016

Sending prayers for your loss. Jim was an awesome person and lived such a good life. Rest peacefully, Jim.
Jane & Alida Barbieri

Alida Barbieri

Family Friend

August 30, 2016

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Sep

1

Celebration of Life

11:00 a.m.

St. Francis Assisi

673 Ellington Rd., South Windsor, CT 06119

Funeral services provided by:

Molloy Funeral Home - West Hartford

906 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06119

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