Joanne Farrell

Madison - JoAnne Marie (McGinnity) Farrell died on January 28, 2020, at St. Mary’s Care Center in Madison. She was born on October 13, 1937, in Olivia, Minnesota, to James and Marie McGinnity. JoAnne married Leo Farrell on June 22, 1968, in Madison where they later raised their family.

The oldest of eleven children, JoAnne had an active role in helping her mother raise her younger siblings after her father’s untimely death. She was a teacher in Madison for over 30 years and an active member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish. After her retirement from teaching, she served for many years as a volunteer at St. Mary’s Hospital. JoAnne found the greatest joy in gatherings with friends and family. She hosted birthday parties, book clubs, bridge games and holiday celebrations as a way to connect with and care for others. She also enjoyed travel and being a Grandma, two things she was able to combine during many fun trips to spend time with her grandchildren. JoAnne made people feel welcomed and important and loved.

JoAnne is survived by her daughters and their husbands, Jane Farrell and Greg Smith of Edina, MN, and Kate and Dean Wahlberg of Greensboro, NC, as well as grandchildren, Connor, Brendan and Norah Smith and Alison and Clark Wahlberg.

JoAnne is further survived by her siblings and their families, Pascha McKeough, Nancy McGinnity, Mary Cochems, Sue (Bob) Simon, Odra McGinnity (Rebecca Ryan), Tom (Maggie) McGinnity, Geri McGinnity (Tom Wroblewski), Maureen McGinnity (Dick Ziervogel), Dan (Mary) McGinnity, Kate McGinnity (Bob Wake).

JoAnne was preceded in death by her best friend and the love of her life, husband Leo Farrell in 1996, as well as her parents, her brother, Jim McGinnity, and other cherished family members.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC CHURCH, 602 Everglade Dr., Madison on Saturday, February 15, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. with Father Bart Timmerman presiding. A visitation will be held at church on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of Mass.

A special thank you to the staff at St. Mary’s Care Center for the loving care and friendship they provided for our family over the past 8 years. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be directed to St. Mary’s Care Center in Madison or St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services

3610 Speedway Road

(608) 238-3434