Obituary of Thomas-Patrick Farrelly

LATHAM After successfully defeating leukemia and the complications from a stem-cell transplant, Thomas P. Farrelly of Latham lost a battle he was not strong enough to win on Thursday, April 21, 2005 at Albany Medical Center. The cause of death was sepsis. Son of the late Thomas P. Farrelly Jr. and Victoria Aloise Farrelly, Tom was born on April 27, 1949 in Albany and grew up in Latham. He was a 1967 graduate of Catholic Central High School in Troy where he was named Crusader of the Year. Tom had recently been informed that he was selected to be inducted into the CCHS Athletic Hall of Fame this June, an honor of which Tom was extremely proud. He received a B.A. from Siena College in mathematics education and his master's degree from Union College. Tom was a well-respected educator and coach. He spent 33 years challenging his students and trying to instill in them his love for math and computers. He taught math at Lansingburgh High School from 1973-1984 where he coached football, baseball and basketball. In 1985, Tom began teaching math at Guilderland High School and retired in June 2004. During the current school year, Tom was privileged to continue teaching at Guilderland on a part-time basis. Although he was a tough and often grumpy taskmaster, Tom was well-liked by the majority of his students. When you mention the name Mr. Farrelly, his students remember two distinct things about him: the guy who walked around the gym with a baseball bat during exams and his most famous Farrelly quote, You can always tell a freshman, but you can't tell them much. While at Guilderland, Tom was the girls' softball coach, leading his team to the 1997 Section II Championship and he was named New York State Softball Coach of the Year. The most important thing in life to Tom was his family. In addition to his mother, Victoria, he is survived by his devoted wife of 31 years, Susan Slavin Farrelly; his two children whom he treasured more than life itself, Meghan Kathleen Farrelly of Riverdale, N.Y. and T. Patrick Farrelly of Latham; two brothers, Joseph (Elena) Farrelly of Calif. and Robert (Cynthia) Farrelly of Latham (Bob gave Tom four more years of life by donating his stem cells for Tom's transplant); two sisters, Kathleen (Christopher) Mahoney of North Greenbush and Mary Ellen (Paul) Quinn of Schodack; one godson, Conor Paul Quinn of Schodack; and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will begin at 8:45 a.m. on Monday, April 25, 2005 from the Dufresne & Cavanaugh Funeral Home, 149 Old Loudon Road, Latham and be followed at 9:30 a.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Pius Church, Crumite Road, Loudonville. Relatives, friends, present students and former students are invited to call at the funeral home on Sunday from 4-8 p.m. Interment will be in Saint Agnes Cemetery, Cohoes. Tom's beloved math department, of which he was considered the Father, has established a scholarship in his memory. Those who wish to remember Tom in a special way are asked to make a contribution to the Thomas P. Farrelly Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Guilderland Central High School, P.O. Box 37, 8 School Road, Guilderland Center, NY 12085.