Phyllis D. Farrell, 80, of Dunkirk, NY passed away Monday, December 15, 2014 at the home of her daughter in Nottingham, New Hampshire following a brief illness.
She was born Oct. 6, 1934 in Bainbridge, NY, the daughter of the late Everett and Elizabeth Dunckel Branham.
Phyllis graduated from Oxford Academy and Central School a year early in 1951, attended beautician school in Albany, NY and then married. After the birth of her fifth child the marriage ended and she supported her children by having a beauty shop attached to her home and working for her brother William, an optician. Phyllis put herself through computer school in the early to mid-1960s and started as a keypunch operator and continued in computers learning to be a programmer until she retired as a contractor program analyst for several major corporations.
Phyllis moved to Dunkirk in January 2003, and quickly became a member of the Holy Trinity Parish family. She was most recently a member of the liturgy committee.
Phyllis was a special woman filled with love, with a wonderful sense of humor, fantastic memory, filled with kindness, always encouraging and very easily friended. Phyllis was a fantastic mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, a devoted sister and a dear friend. She will be sadly missed by all whose lives were touched by her. Friends all held a very special place in her heart.
Most important of all to Phyllis was family, including every one of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law, James and Nina Farrell of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, and Timothy and Jill Farrell of Lake Luzerne, NY; two daughters and sons-in-law, Carolyn and Kenneth Kelleher of Nottingham, NH, and Jacqueline and Warren (Doc) Terrill of Fredonia, NY. Surviving grandchildren include William Eric (Liz) Howse, Kendall Christopher (Ruby) Howse, Shannon (Andrew) Morrison, Sean (Miranda) Farrell, Kelly Farrell, Laura Farrell, Vanesa Farrell, Brianna Farrell, and Ryan Farrell. In addition, she is survived by great-grandchildren Esther, Edythe, Riley, Logan, Charlotte, and Alexander.
In addition to all of her children and grandchildren, Phyllis is survived by her sister Dorothy Simonds, sister-in-law Catherine Branham, her best friend since the seventh grade Diane Maruszak, as well as several nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, Phyllis was preceded in death by her son Thomas Michael Farrell, two brothers, Frederick and William, and three sisters Betty Brock, Barbara Shaver, and Mary Lou Sipple.
There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 21, 2014 at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Hampton, NH. There will also be a memorial service at Holy Trinity Church in Dunkirk in the spring of 2015.
By the Observer
