Francis "Frank" William Farrell III

Francis (Frank) William Farrell III, of Atlanta, GA, passed away on February 24, 2025. He was a devoted husband, loving father, faithful son, admired brother and friend to all. His life was defined by Faith, Family and Friends. His selfless service to others, and genuine warmth and good cheer, touched the lives of all who knew him.

Frank is survived by his beloved wife, Cynthia (Cece); his cherished children, Kathleen, Anne, and John; his brothers, Robert and David; his father, Francis William Farrell II; and a wide circle of family and friends. He was preceded in death by his mother, Jean Farrell.

Frank was born on April 5, 1962, at Fort Bragg, NC, as his father proudly served in the United States Army. His early years took the family to Vicenza, Italy; Seoul, Korea; Northern Virginia; West Point, NY and Stillwater, OK, where Frank earned an Information Management Science degree from Oklahoma State University. He would later earn his MBA from Georgia State University. That early life of movement and adventure shaped in Frank a lifelong love of history, politics, culture and exploration of the world around him.

Frank’s life journey is marked by a deep and enduring love. On November 7, 1992 he married Cynthia “Cece” Becker Farrell. Together, they built a beautiful life in and around Atlanta (Dunwoody), Georgia, raising their three wonderful children and creating a home filled with laughter and love. His leisure pastime was his family. Taking a hands-on approach to fatherhood, Frank spent time nurturing his children’s interests and abilities. This commitment would find him driving his daughter, Anne, to her 5 am Dynamo swim practice where he would wait, take her to school and then go to work. Frank also served as John’s Boy Scout leader accompanying him on 23 camping trip and serving as his right-hand man while John earned his Eagle Scout Award. He shared his daughter, Kathleen’s, passion for dog rescue, affectionately referring to them as their “Beaks.” Family weekends were spent hiking, visiting a historic site, teaching his children to wakeboard and frequent trips to the local smoothie shop.

Frank and Cece travelled worldwide taking their children to Europe, South America, Canada, National Parks, DC, New York and Florida. One of their favorite adventures was visiting their home in Norway.

Frank built a distinguished forty-year career in commercial real estate, investment, and management, with 21 years spent with Ackerman & Co. Working as a both as a tenant rep and landlord broker, Frank received multiple awards over his career. He also co-founded the Atlanta Airport Community Improvement District (CID) recognizing the urgent need for economic revitalization in Clayton County. He continued to serve on its board for many years. He was widely regarded in the Atlanta commercial real estate community for his integrity, professionalism, work ethic and genuine knowledge of the Atlanta market.

Frank’s Catholic faith was the compass of his life. He lived his beliefs not in words alone, but through his actions and works. As a devoted parishioner at St. Jude the Apostle and later the Cathedral of Christ the King, he was a regular at Adoration and daily Mass. Frank travelled on several mission trips to the Missionaries of the Poor in Jamaica, spent countless nights caring for the homeless at a downtown Atlanta night shelter and served as president of the St. Judes Men’s Club. He was an active and compassionate Pro-Life advocate. He drove elderly parishioners to Sunday Mass and gave generously of his time refereeing youth and adult basketball.

Frank was a renaissance man. He was an accomplished athlete in his youth, excelling in baseball, basketball, football, and rugby, and he remained a devoted fitness enthusiast throughout his life. He skied with remarkable skill—impressive for a man who grew up in Oklahoma and settled in Georgia. He loved being on the water, shooting hoops at the Y, and playing golf with Cece. He was an encyclopedia of college and pro football and loved watching his favorite teams. He was an avid reader and an amateur historian with a passion for economics, business, public policy, and religion. Somehow when nobody was looking he learned to play the banjo.

Frank Farrell believed in making the world a better place by humbly serving others through quiet acts of kindness and spreading the love of Christ to those around him. He lived in faithful devotion to something larger than himself. He will be deeply missed.

If you feel compelled to make a charitable contribution in his memory his favorite causes were Catholic Charities of Atlanta and Missionaries of the Poor of Jamaica.