Joseph Francis Farrell IV

July 6 marks year two of our lives without Joseph F. Farrell IV. Because his death was unexpected and occurred at such a young age, we continue to view each day we did have with him as a gift and work to keep his memory alive in little ways. We look forward to some happy times this year as we expect his first grandchild to be born in August. We hope this will help heal some of our pain and we know he will be watching all of us through this exciting time. We truly appreciate all of the...

On July 6, our family will face a difficult milestone: the one-year anniversary of the death of Joseph F. Farrell IV. He was unexpectedly taken from us and, as each day passes, we continue to try to heal from wounds that cut deeper than we ever could have imagined. We want to thank every one of you for your love and support over the past year. The way you, our friends and extended family, responded to this tragedy continues to amaze us. We truly appreciate all you have done to assist us...

Dear Gail and Family,

I heard of your loss this morning - stunned by the news, I sat at my desk pondering what you all must be feeling. It has been years since I have seen any of you, but the memories of life in Long Beach flowed back as if they were yesterday. I remember meeting Joe and Gail as a little eight year old, walking up onto the pool deck in my swimsuit, cap and goggles in hand...I remember thinking Joe was such a big guy as I looked up, a little intimidated and nervous, but...

Dear Mrs. Farrell and family:

We were so sorry to hear of your loss. Mr. Farrell taught social studies to both of our sons and did so much to instill in them a love of the subject matter. He chose a noble profession and we are so grateful for his contribution to our sons' educations. Thank you for sharing your husband and father with us. Our thoughts are with you at this difficult time.

Dear the Farrell family,

I am so sorry about your loss. I had Mr. Farrell a couple of years ago and he was one of the best teachers I have ever had. He made class enjoyable and was very funny at the same time. I remember having heated discussions with him after class about the mets and the yankees because I am a yankees fan. To this day I am still impressed about how he remembered every single one of his students' names by the first day of school. He was a great man and I will miss him.

Dear Farrell Family,

I just had Mr. Farrell this year. He was a fantastic teacher and made everyone laugh. He taught us so many things and made social studies fun at the same time. We will all miss him.

What can be said about Joe Farrell that hasn't already been said? Words can’t express the feelings that went through me on that Saturday morning. I was shocked… I was stunned. I was unable to utter a word. Joe was a great man, a great coach, a great mentor, and most of all, a great friend.

I started to swim for the Long Beach Aquatics over 23 years ago. I vividly remember the day that the swim team parents brought a cake onto the pool deck to celebrate Joe and Gail’s upcoming...

I met Joe when I began teaching in LB in 1996. I addressed him as "Captain Farrell". He was a man who led by example, and had a great confidence about himself. Hence the knickname. We grew to be casual friends over the years. From a friendly game of after school B-ball to hanging at a Mets game, Joe was always a great person to be around.

We went to a game 1 week before his passing. The game was a rainout, but the hang wasn't. He spoke of future plans after retirement, and expressed...