Garrett Farrell Jr.

St. Petersburg, Fla. — Garrett Bernard Farrell Jr., Col. U.S. Army, retired, 85, of St. Petersburg, Fla., passed away on Monday, May 21, 2018, in Connerton, Fla.

Born in Hartford, he moved to his beloved St. Petersburg at the age of 10 with his mother and father, the late Elizabeth Terry Farrell and Garrett B. Farrell Sr.

He is a graduate of both St. Paul’s Grammar and High Schools in St. Petersburg. He and his parents were also founding members of St. Petersburg’s Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle. Upon graduation from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

Garrett spent his childhood fishing, swimming and exploring the beaches and wilds of St. Petersburg, of which he knew every inch like the back of his hand. He cast net for, and sold mullet to, Ted Peters as a boy, worked as a stock clerk at Webb’s City — where he ate his weight in their ice cream — and served as a lineman for Florida Power during his college summers. His greatest joy was to purchase a home for his family in the Euclid/St. Paul’s neighborhood, mere blocks from where he lived as a boy, so his children could walk to St. Paul’s School.

He is survived by his spouse of 53 years, Antoinette DelGrosso Farrell, and three children, Geralyn Noonan and her husband, William, of Fort Myers, Fla., Garrett B. Farrell III and his wife, Diane Dozois M.D., of Seattle, Wash., and Terrence Farrell and his wife, Jennifer Youngblood, also of Seattle, Wash. In addition, he is survived by four grandchildren whom he treasured, William Garrett Noonan, Garrett Russell Farrell, and Coco and Mack Farrell.

A decorated veteran, Garrett retired from the U.S. Army after serving 36 years on active duty including time spent in the Korean Conflict and Vietnam. After traveling the world, he made St. Petersburg his home, and worked for 20 years in the private sector insurance industry.

Col. Farrell will be buried with full military honors at 12:45 p.m. June 18, at Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Fla. The ceremony will be followed by a celebration of his life with family and friends in the spirit of a traditional Irish Wake.