James Vincent Farrell Jr.

Farrell, James Vincent On Thursday, September 29th, 2022, James Vincent Farrell, most recently of Bloomington, Minnesota, passed away at the age of 83 after a short but courageous battle with MDS, a rare form of blood cancer. James, fondly known as Jay, Jim, or JV depending on how you knew him, was born on April 27, 1939, in Philadelphia, PA to (James) Vincent Farrell, a family doctor and Ursula O'Connor Farrell, a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia. His sister, Mary Alice Farrell, preceded him in death in August of 2018. Jim grew up in St. Helena's Parish in the Olney/East Oak Lane section of Philly. He made some of his life-long friends in that neighborhood. He attended St. Helena's Grammar school and went on to high school at LaSalle College High School in Philly. Jim started college at Mount Saint Mary's in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and sadly, after losing both of his parents while in college, he transferred to Temple University in Philadelphia. He received his bachelor's degree in Physics from Temple in 1963. He started his storied sales career at Xerox in Baltimore, MD. He married Kathy Smith in her hometown of Tallmadge, Ohio in July of 1965. They went on to have two daughters, Muffy Farrell of Warminster, PA and Beth Farrell of Chicago, IL. Jim had a passion and drive for his career, particularly sales. He started with 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) in 1965 in Baltimore and soon was transferred to Saint Paul, MN. He received many promotions throughout his over 30 years with 3M and moved around the country to take on these roles. Jim was very committed to and proud of the relationships he formed with his colleagues and customers over the years. Jim was promoted many times, most notably, his promotion to Magnetic Audio-Visual Sales Manager in Los Angeles, CA and his post as International Marketing Manager where he traveled all over Europe and Japan as a part of his territory. He spent his remaining years with 3M back in Bloomington, MN. He was known for being available to and mentoring his sales teams, building relationships, and his tenacity to continuously improve his skill set and his team's skill set. Dad was smart in so many ways. He knew cars, he could fix things around the house, and he could retain just about anything he read. He was an avid reader his whole life. In his retirement, he read both the Wall Street Journal and the Minneapolis Star Tribune every day. Jim is survived by his wife Kathy, daughters Muffy and Beth, his beloved grandson Declan, his brothers-in-law, and sister-in-law, as well as many nieces and nephews, their partners, and their children. Family and friendships were very important to him. We all knew how much he loved us. We traveled to be together for his 60th birthday and decided to continue that for every birthday since! He and Mom had a standing Saturday night date for many years. Dad took us on many great family vacations, especially when we were living in Fullerton, CA as we traveled the coast and many points out West. And who could forget our annual treks to Ocean City, New Jersey? Dad "led from the heart" in his actions and decisions. We think at his core, he wanted the best for us, he wanted to help guide us. He was smart, funny, personable, hardworking, stubborn, and so very caring. He would cry as he dropped us off at the airport after a trip to MN. Every. Single. Time. We will miss him! We would be remiss if we did not thank his many, many, excellent and kind doctors and nurses and other health care providers in this most recent cancer diagnosis, as well as throughout his health history here in MN. Most notably, Dr. Dean Kaihoi, Dad's long-time Family Doctor; Dr. Stuart Bloom, Dad's Oncologist, who kindly answered all our text messages, Pam from Park Nicollet Wound Care at Methodist Hospital, and we would not have survived this bumpy road without the care, kindness, and counsel of Terry Pellersels, RN, BSN and the RN Care Coordinator at M Health Fairview in Minneapolis. Dad's final days were spent with the excellent staff at 5E/5W Med Surg Oncology Unit at Methodist Hospital/Park Nicollet, St. Louis Park, MN. Dad received the best care, and we received amazing support from the team there. Heartfelt thanks to Dr. Knopp and Dr. Budziakowski (Dr. B), the many terrific nurses, including Courtney, the last nurse to provide Dad care, the nursing assistants, and the many kind people working at Methodist that we encountered. At his request, there will be no service or ceremony. If you would like, please donate in his memory to the American Cancer Society as Dad fought more than one battle with cancer in his 83 years. The information is below. Donation form: donate3.cancer.org/ Select: "I want to dedicate my donation." Choose Memory; Enter Jim's first and last name. Thank you! Love to Dad always! Washburn-McReavy.com Edina Chapel 952-920-3996

Tributes

James Vincent Farrell Jr.

April 27, 1939 - September 29, 2022

Tributes

James Vincent Farrell Jr.

April 27, 1939 - September 29, 2022

We are here for you 24x7

Call us and get help now

(612) 377-2203