Tony Farrell, BHS '67 (1948-2021)

 

 

(Bottom photo from 2012 BHS Class Reunion)

 

Anthony "Tony" Quinn Farrell

April 14, 1948 - October 16, 2021

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Obituary

Anthony had a very complex life.Anthony (Tony) was born in Tulare, CA, to Olen Henry Self and Marye Evelyn Wilson Self. This newlywed couple soon separated before Anthony’s birth, and each parent went their own way. Both Olen and Marye remarried and produced other children with their respective spouses, never seeing or interacting with each other for the rest of their lives. Anthony was the eldest child born of his mother, Marye, who gave him two half-siblings (Timothy Lawrence Farrell and Gail Farrell Raway, both residing in Arizona). Only the older generation called him Anthony. His maternal grandmother, maternal grandfather, mother, and aunts raised the young Anthony from infancy to ten years old. His mom married Thomas James Farrell, and a new chapter of his life began. Thomas and Anthony’s mother, Marye, raised him to adulthood. All parents, grandparents, and four aunts and an uncle (mother’s sisters and brother, Elsie, Quinne (whom Tony was named after) Glorie, Billie, and Kearney) preceded Anthony’s passing. During those years, Anthony did not know of any of his older relatives of his father’s lineage.

After graduating from Burbank High, Tony joined the Marine Corps, earning his Sargeant stripes, serving two enlistments, including Vietnam. During his first enlistment, Tony married his first wife and had a son (Brian, with whom Tony was estranged, from age 7, never to meet again). After his military service ended, he moved near his mother and step-father and divorced his then-wife. Tony had held various jobs and lived in multiple places. Tony told many stories about the famous people he met while living in LA as a child and the famous people he met while doing those jobs as an adult before settling into his cousin’s Ken’s pool servicing business in Simi Valley, CA. Servicing swimming pools with his cousin Ken taught him his trade, and he worked in the family business for many years. His cousin, Ken, owner of the pool servicing business, moved his family and business to Bakersfield, where Tony soon joined him.

Having moved to Bakersfield around 1992, he met and married his present wife/widow, Leola Lois Farrell. They had two late-in-life children together, Jesse Q., (26) and Jason J., (24). His dream of finally having a family to love came true, and he began his pool servicing business. He was a pool technician for ten years before becoming self-employed for over 16 years. Tony’s ill health caused him to close his pool servicing business permanently.

Tony was a life-long Dodger baseball fan (He and his grandfather watched the construction of Dodger Stadium.) Tony was an avid bowler (though he never bowled the perfect 300, he came close many times). Tony enjoyed going to the movies (especially horror and sci-fi), family interactions, and singing karaoke. As one person fondly stated, “He lit up any room he was in!” He also tried to make people happy by using his wit, humor, and acting differently than he looked. Tony also helped the many young people that moved through his home. He provided food, shelter, advice, and support in any way he could to give them a hand up. He aspired to be an extra in movies (He appeared in two as a background actor, one domestic and the other for Korean release, in his older years). Tony had an excellent speaking and singing voice. He sang songs from Elvis, Joe Cocker, and many others. On their wedding anniversaries, Tony sang to his wife her favorite songs. The most unexpected song that he sang was “Let The Bodies Hit The Floor.” The younger crowds loved it. He also entered a karaoke contest, won a spot in the final, and sang his song at the karaoke finalist contest at the Kern County Fair.

After his mother died in 1999, Tony, who was very close with his mother, discovered that he had another family that lived pretty close to Bakersfield. These were his biological father’s children. Tony knew that he had a birth father and his name, but no contact had been in the preceding years. Olen Self had been looking for Tony his entire life and died the year before finding and contacting the family. Tony was able to meet all his younger half-siblings, the Self’s, in Fresno, CA. Olen gave Tony five half-siblings (Olen Jr, Steve, Jerry, Linda, and Debbi.) There was shock and surprise at their first meeting as they saw a younger image of their dad that they had grown up with walking toward them. His looks, height, body size, mannerisms, walk, speech, voice, and character nearly duplicated their father’s. They were in total amazement as to how this was possible with absolutely no contact with their dad, proving without a doubt, Tony was the older brother that their dad had been searching for all of his life. The youngest sister declared that “It was like having dad come back” every time she saw him.

Ten years ago, he became a born-again Christian, renewed in faith, anointed by his younger brother Timothy, who shares and teaches God’s Word. Tony’s military service and coming into contact with Agent Orange resulted in causing him health issues that slowly eroded his physical health over time. His deployment in Vietnam gave him PTSD and Parkinson’s, which was the cause of his death. Living life and being devoted to one another, Tony is survived by his loving wife of 27 years and his three sons. Tony is also survived by three sisters, four brothers, cousins, nieces, and nephews, and other extended family members of the heart who adopted him as a brother, a father, and a grandfather.

Tony, the Mighty Quinn (as he was known for singing at karaoke), has left for a better life with Jesus! Most people liked Tony, some tolerated him, and some had a strong dislike of him. However, among those that knew him, he was loved and respected for being himself, The One and Only Anthony Quinn Self Farrell.

There are no scheduled services at Tony’s request. We will plan a celebration of life at a later date.