Obituary of Dolores "Dee" E. Farrell

DOLORES "DEE" E. FARRELL Clifton Park - Dolores "Dee" Farrell, 84, died on January 10, 2012 at the Pine Valley Home in Hoosick Falls, where she lived in recent years. Dee had been in declining health and was a victim of Alzheimer's disease. A resident of Clifton Park for more than 40 years, a former member of the Shenendehowa Board of Education and a longtime Civil Service Employees Association official, Dee was born on April 7, 1927 in Yonkers. She was the daughter of Stephen and Evelyn (Yasko) Begany. A few years after graduating from Charles E. Gorton High School in Yonkers in 1945, Dee moved upstate to Glens Falls, close to her beloved Lake George, and worked for the New York Telephone Company. She married Robert Farrell in 1952 and they settled in Latham, where they raised their family until moving to Clifton Park in 1968. Dee began her long career with New York State in the Department of Civil Service in 1967. Never shy or afraid to express an opinion, she was an enthusiastic member of the CSEA and served as the president of Local 653, and was a member of the CSEA's Board of Directors, from 1977 until her retirement in 1992. Dee remained active in union activities and served as the second vice-president of Local 999 of CSEA retirees from July 2001 through 2009. From her state service, Dee moved into real estate sales. She was a volunteer for non-profits, including the Samaritans, and was able to increase her involvement at Saint Ambrose Church in Latham, where she was a parishioner for more than 50 years. During the early part of her retirement, she hosted a Vietnamese family that was resettling in the Northeast. In 1995, Dee was elected to the first of three three-year terms on the Shenendehowa Board of Education. She resigned her position in November 2001 because of health reasons. While she enjoyed traveling and her CSEA duties took her across the state, Dee especially loved the Lake George area and spent many a summer afternoon there. Dee is survived by her four children, Kathleen (Michael) Kane of Glenville; Nancy (Robert) Jones, Glenville; James (Robin), Troy; and Jill Carr, Tewksbury, MA; seven grandchildren, Darcey and Caitlin Kane; Nicholas (Sylwia) Hoffman; James and Matthew Farrell; Mackenzie and Delaney Carr; two step-grandchildren, Ashley Sheremeta and Courtney Morris; one great-grandson, Jackson Hoffman; and her brother, William (Ruth) Begany of Bardonia, NY. The family would like to thank Molly Holbritter of Pine Valley Home for the loving and compassionate care that she provided. Dee enjoyed the family setting at Pine Valley and it was the ideal place for her to spend her final years. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16 at Saint Ambrose Church, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated. Burial will be on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at Mount Hope Cemetery, Yonkers. Calling hours will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15 at the Dufresene & Cavanaugh Funeral Home, 149 Old Loudon Road, Latham. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association-Northeastern New York Chapter and The Community Hospice Foundation. For directions, information or to light a memory candle for the family please visit www.dufresneandcavanaugh.com