Rev. Paul A. Farren

Born in Charleston, West Virginia on February 29th, 1956 to Doris and Quinwood Farren. Paul attended Dunbar High School before graduating from West Virginia Wesleyan University in 1978. Paul went on to earn his Master’s Degree in 1982 from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. and embarked on a 35-year career of preaching the Word of God as a United Methodist Minister to congregations in West Virginia and Ohio.

His career included appointments located in Triadelphia, WV; Newell, WV; Gnadenhutten, OH; Barberton, OH; Wooster, OH; and Dalton, OH before he retired from the ministry in 2017.

Family was everything to Paul. In 1982, he met the love of his life, Lynn, through mutual friends at a church event in Strongsville, OH. The couple married in 1984 and spent the next 40 years together. They had two children, Kristen (Travis) Ell and Jonathan, along with three grandchildren; Kennedy, Baylor and Sadie, plus a fourth grandchild who is due in May.

Paul will be remembered for his selflessness, kind heart and one-of-a-kind personality. A faithful husband, dedicated father and fun-loving “Papa” to his grandchildren. He will be missed for his ability to make those closest to him laugh, his quick wit and curiosity. His passion for the world around him was contagious, as was his excitement for the little things in life.

Along with his wife, Lynn, Paul attended Five14 Church in New Albany and enjoyed attending his small group. He loved to spend his free time playing with his grandchildren, visiting with his children, traveling, listening to music, tending to his lawn, grilling and taking photography.

He was a passionate sports fan and diligently followed his beloved Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Cavaliers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Rams, Ohio State Buckeyes and West Virginia Mountaineers.

The family would like to thank the countless nurses, doctors and support staff at The James Cancer Center at The Ohio State University for their great care of Paul.

He will be memorialized by family, friends and colleagues on Thursday, March 27 at New Albany United Methodist Church, located at 20 Third St, New Albany, OH 43054. A visitation period will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., immediately followed by a funeral service.

Flowers or any other well wishes can be addressed to Lynn Farren and sent to New Albany UMC.

If you are moved to make a monetary donation in Paul’s memory, please consider making a contribution to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network via pancan.org.