Margaret O'Malley Farrell

SmithfieldMargaret O'Malley Farrell, 79, of Woburn, Massachusetts, died peacefully Sunday, Nov. 1st at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the presence of her loving daughters. The cause of death was pneumonia exacerbated by underlying long-term health problems. She was a social worker and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in Rhode Island for more than 20 years. The wife of the late Benjamin James Farrell, she was born on March 6, 1930 to Austin Joseph O'Malley and Marguerite (McCusker) in Providence. R.I. After her mother's untimely death, her Aunt Rose McCusker and her maternal grandmother Mary Ann McCusker raised her. The latter two she credited with encouraging her independence of mind, and pursuit of education and career. She attended St. Pius Elementary School, and graduated from Classical High School in Providence in 1948. She studied sociology at Pembroke University and was a proud member of the Brown University class of 1952. During college she worked summers and weekends in a laundry with her Aunt Rose. She later attended graduate school at the School of Social Work at Boston University. She lived in Greenville, Rhode Island for more than 40 years before moving to Woburn in 2006 to live with and be near family members. Marge began her career working at R.I. Child Welfare Services, where she met her future husband. She continued to work in a variety of capacities as a social worker, including school counseling, advocacy, and clinical work in the Foster Grandparents Program and at Blackstone Valley Community Action Program. She was active in the League of Women Voters and R.I. Social Workers Association. She ended her career at R.I. Vocational Rehabilitation Services in 1992. During her retirement she enjoyed travel to New Orleans, Washington, DC, Italy, Ireland, England, Guatemala, and Spain. She had a passion for all things Irish, British, and literary, was an avid readera�"especially of murder mysteries, and enjoyed compiling family history, researching family members who fought in the civil war, antique collecting, and telling a good story. She was a Jeopardy devotee par excellence. Her greatest source of pleasure was time spent with siblings, children, grandchildren, and extended family. She is survived by daughters Marguerite Mary Farrell (James Eliot Rosen) of Arlington, Virginia, Ellen Marie Farrell (Edic Otorne Herrera) of Woburn, Massachusetts, and Florence Anne Farrell (Mark Eugene Robbins) of Arlington, Massachusetts, and by grandchildren Benjamin Herrera Farrell, Talia Farrell-Rosen, Gabriel Herrera Farrell, Michael Farrell-Rosen and Zachary Farrell Robbins. She is also survived by her younger siblings Austin O'Malley, Robert O'Malley, Patricia (O'Malley) Baribault, and Brian O'Malley, all of Rhode Island, and Jeannine (O'Malley) Brey and Dennis O'Malley of Tennessee. She was preceded in death by her siblings Kevin O'Malley and Louis O'Malley. The funeral will be held Friday, at 8:00 am, from the Russell J. Boyle & Son Funeral Home, 331 Smith Street, Providence. Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 am in Saint Philip Church, 622 Putnam Avenue (Rt. 44), Greenville. Burial will be in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Providence. Visiting hours Thursday, 4-8 pm.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Brown University, P.O. Box 1877, Providence, RI 02912, for scholarships in memory of Margaret O'M. Farrell '52.