Obituary of Peggy Farrell

Margaret “Peggy” Farrell, adoring mother, nurse, and advocate for suicide prevention, died Thursday, May 25th in Freehold, New Jersey, where she lived for more than seventy years. She was 96. Born to Edward Lewis and Mary O’Brien, Margaret (Peggy) Farrell grew up in Freehold and graduated from Freehold High School (FHS), where she later served as the school nurse for 26 years. During World War II she trained as a nurse in Jersey City, where she graduated from Jersey City State College, worked at Margaret Hague Hospital, and met her husband Frank Farrell at Pipi’s Bar & Grill. They wed in 1949, moved to Freehold in 1969, and raised five children together. Peggy was inducted into the Freehold High School Hall of Fame in 2007. She was a steadfast community leader, volunteering with local organizations including the Drug, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse Committee and serving 30 years on the Juvenile Conference Committee. Peggy led a life of deep community service. At FHS, she served as the union representative for the NJ Education Association and led the Health Sciences Gifted and Talented Program. When her beloved son Michael took his life in 1992, Peggy dedicated her energies to suicide prevention, becoming a leader and national advocate. She pioneered home visiting programs for families newly bereaved by suicide, ran support groups, and conducted education and training for law enforcement personnel, funeral home professionals, educators, and mental health providers. As the Chair of the NJ Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), Peggy organized the first-ever Survivor’s Day Conference, coordinated annual community walks, and comforted many hundreds of bereaved families. Her grassroots efforts became an international model for advocacy and support. She was the inaugural recipient of the AFSP’s Peggy Farrell Survivor Award in 2016, named in her honor. Peggy is survived by four children: Nancy Farrell (Lewis Eisenberg) of Brookline, MA, Mary Farrell (Adrian Carolan) of Brielle, NJ, Anne Farrell of Chicago, IL, and Mark Farrell (Preeti Singh) of Freehold NJ. She also leaves behind her adoring grandchildren, Kate Farrell Eisenberg (Kim Parr), Sarah Farrell Eisenberg, Patrick Farrell Spauster, Luke Farrell, Danika Farrell, and her adoring great grandchildren, Eloise Ann Parr-Eisenberg, and Olive Margaret Ann Parr-Eisenberg. Peggy also leaves behind many loving nieces, nephews, and friends. She was predeceased by her sister Claire Lewis Forman, her brother Edward M. Lewis Jr., her former husband Frank X. Farrell, and her son Michael Farrell. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Peggy may be directed to the VNA Health Group, Attn: Philanthropy Department, 23 Main St., Suite D1, Holmdel, NJ 07733 or www.vnahg.org or The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at 199 Water St., 11th Floor, NY, NY 10038 or online at https://supporting.afsp.org/. A visitation will be held on Friday, May 26, 2023, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Higgins Funeral Home, 20 Center Street, Freehold NJ. There will be a private burial on Saturday.