Farrell, Frederick Stevenson

January 8, 1916 to April 10, 2010

Freddie, Fred, Fritz, Grampy, Grumpy, Dad, Pop, F.S. 
Farrell: many names, many different things to the many 
people of his life. To his beloved wife of 60 years, Jane, 
he was always Freddie; to his friends, Fred; to his mother 
and father, Fritz; to his son and daughter, Dad and Pop; 
to his three grandchildren, Grampy and Grumpy. Then, he 
always signed his name F.S. Farrell. However you knew 
him, he was a very special person. He wrote portions of 
his own obituary long before he died - he wanted to be 
remembered as a World War II veteran, a D-Day and Battle 
of the Bulge survivor, a loving husband, father and 
grandfather. As a young man, he was a very gifted athlete, 
a talented swimmer and diver, a member of the 
Sacramento Junior College crew team, an avid skier and a 
reckless ski jumper. He had a cleft in his chin as testimony 
to one of the many ski jump crashes he experienced and 
was very proud of it. Although he did not speak of it until 
just recently, he was very proud of his military service. He 
landed at Utah Beach, ''wave one'', on June 6, 1944, with 
thousands of Allied forces; he survived the landing and 
ensuing battle and then marched across Europe with the 
Fifth Army serving as a Forward Artillery Observer, noting 
the strength and location of the enemy. Besides 
Normandy, he fought at Ardennes, in Northern France, the 
Rhineland and in Central Europe. On V-E Day, he was in 
Leipzig, Germany, face to face with the Russian troops 
advancing from the East. He was one of the liberators of 
the Concentration camp Bergen-Belsen, a memory he 
tried to repress most of his life. He was married for three 
days to his love, Janie, before leaving for three years to 
train and fight with the Allied troops in Europe. Fred and 
Jane were married for 60 years and deeply in love; he 
cared for Jane for several years at home while she 
struggled with Alzheimer's disease. When she died in 
2004, his life was forever changed. He worked for Pacific 
Bell/AT&T for 40 years, retiring in 1977. He loved 
spending time with Jane, golfing, gardening, cooking and 
drinking good Scotch whiskey. His favorite meal was her 
fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and peas, followed by a 
big chunk of her apple pie. He was the unofficial family 
recorder, with a memory like an elephant, and with his 
love for photography he captured many of the big and 
small moments of our lives with his camera. He loved his 
grandchildren dearly and was so proud of all of them. He 
will be missed greatly by son John O'Farrell and his wife 
Beth, daughter Patti Simpson and husband Greg, 
granddaughter Luna Duell and husband Holland and 
granddaughters Caitlin and Brianne O'Farrell. He was a 
strong, proud, loving and caring man all of his life. There 
will be a private gathering of family and close friends to 
celebrate Grampy's life at a later date. 

Published in The Sacramento Bee on April 13, 2010