Born in Lynn on August 6, 1928, she was a daughter of the late Laurence and Margaret (Creevan) Farrell, and dear granddaughter of the late James Creevan of Ireland and Lynn. She was a graduate of St. Mary’s Girl’s High School, graduating with the Class of 1945 at only 16 years old.
Just as Frank Sinatra’s body of work as an actor was even more astonishing when taking into account that it was secondary to his singing, Dorothy’s skill at crafting funny, interesting, and insightful stories and Facebook posts was eclipsed only by her talent of piano playing. She began playing the piano before she was two, picking out a song on the piano that she heard at a parade that day. She studied music but preferred to play by ear because it came so naturally to her. She played professionally at bars and restaurants, as well as socially and for pleasure. She loved the movies and old movie stars, and Frank Sinatra was a favorite.
Dorothy worked at Connolly’s Candies in Lynn, Kakas Furs in Boston, and the General Electric in Lynn before she set off to work for the government in Washington, DC, after World War II. She lived in New York City, Santa Rosa, Japan, Okinawa, San Diego, Maine, and Hawaii while picking up many dear friends along the way. She could type 120 words per minute, and won the Boston Herald Spelling Bee. She used her skills to work as a secretary until the mid-seventies, when she started her own independent secretarial service, which she ran for years in San Diego and Hawaii. She also ran a bed and breakfast in Maine with her husband John Madigan. She returned to Lynn in 2019 to be near her family, where she lived happily at the Lynn Home for Elderly Persons.
Surviving Dorothy are her beloved children, Christopher C. Cabe of Gastonia, NC, and Jeanne-Mare Cabe of Lynn; her grandchildren, Lori B. Cabe and Brianna P. Brangman; her siblings, Janet McGovern, Eileen Keating, Laurence Farrell, and Sharon Fleury, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Dorothy was the sister of the late Evelyn Webber, James L. Farrell, Nancy Farrell, Joan Poehler, and Mary Johnson.
Arrangements: Friends and family are invited to call at the Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home, 157 Maple St., Lynn on Sunday, May 2nd from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, May 3rd at 11 a.m. at St. Pius V, Lynn. Donations can be made in her name to Covenant House or the Lynn Home for Elderly Persons.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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