Mary Galvin Farrell

life story

Mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, friend, mentor

Mary Galvin Farrell quietly left us on the afternoon of March 7, 2021 in her recently moved into apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota. She succumbed to round 2 of a bout with cancer, though she was the clear victor in round 1. Born in 1941 in Winona, Minnesota at the onset of the US involvement in World War II, she lived at lot in her nearly 80 years. Mary moved to St. Paul with her family as a young girl. There she got an early start on life, married, had 3 children and was divorced by age 25. Being a single mother is difficult in any time, but the mid-60s had its particular challenges. Mary faced them head on. She raised her children alone, putting them all through private high school. She did her best to give her children what they needed. She was known as the ‘cool’ and ‘hip’ mom, and raised her children to be independent and self-reliant. Some say she did too good of a job in that regard. The middle child drove off to Washington State in 1986. The eldest moved to Asia in 1987. The youngest stayed a bit closer to home, only got as far as Wisconsin. But they all had the courage and support to follow their dreams and flourish. Mary was a resilient and hard worker. In her early days of single-motherhood, she had a few clerical jobs. But when the real estate boom of the mid-seventies hit, she armed herself with a real estate license and never looked back. She found her niche working with home buyers and sellers, developing many long-term friendships with her clients and colleagues. She repaid the industry by being a mentor and a counselor to new-comers to the industry, always willing to give a hand and offer timely advice. Mary loved life. Anyone that knew Mary well was probably fortunate enough to enjoy a superbly prepared meal at her home. Or she would come to you bearing her latest creation. Be it soup, pasta, meat, whatever she had was truly delicious. As someone said recently, you never, ever left her table hungry. She was a sharp bridge player, but also picked up mahjong and was known to be pretty damn quick with those tiles. Later in her life she had the chance to travel. Often this was tied to visiting her children. She loved seeing how they lived — in Seattle, Taipei, or Hudson. She had the chance to visit other places as well including Hong Kong, Thailand, Bali, Mexico, Spain and Italy. The Derham Hall graduate became a world traveler. And the 3-olive vodka martini became her trademark beverage. Family remained central to her life. She was proud of her strong Irish Galvin & O’Donahue stock and her membership in the extended Galvin clan. She was ever thankful for all of the support she received. She was surrounded by nieces and nephews and god-children. She cared for them all, and always polled near the top in the “Best Aunt” category. Her 3 granddaughters were most precious to her. She was fiercely proud of all three and cherished her time with them. Grandma Mia or Mimi closely followed their academic and artistic achievements and cared deeply about their futures. If World War II was the opening chapter in her life, the COVID 19 lockdown was the final chapter. The forced isolation was a challenge she embraced, wanting to keep those dear to her safe. The love she had extended others was evident in the support she received in her last months. Friends, neighbors, and family members delivered food and essentials and ran errands for her. She was very grateful for that. She proved the Beatles right:

And in the end/The love you take/Is equal to the love you make

Mary will indeed be missed. Yet, we rest assured that she will live on in the hearts of all she touched in her life. ​Mary is survived by her sister. Sheila Rangitsch; and her three children and their spouses and partners: Bill and Angela Farrell (nee Yang) and their daughter Catrina; Rob and Ellen Farrell (nee Penney) and their daughters Mackenzie and Erin; and Bridget Farrell and Paul Shotwell. Mary requested there be no service due to Covid. Donations can be made to the Dorothy Day Center or donor’s choice.

Mary, Mom, Mia, Mimi