Marjorie Farrell December 08, 1925 – December 26, 2018 Share this obituary Sign Guestbook| View Guest Book Entries| Send Sympathy Card Funeral Mass for Marjorie Farrell will be 12:00 P.M. Saturday, December 29, 2018 at Holy Family Catholic Church with the Most Reverend Edward J. Weisenburger, Bishop of Tucson officiating. Burial will follow in Sunset Memorial Gardens under the direction of Becker-Rabon Funeral Home. Marjorie Farrell died Wednesday, December 26, 2018 in her home in Lawton, Oklahoma.
She was born December 8, 1925 to Francis Joseph Farrell, Jr. and Mary Blanche (Phillips) Farrell. She attended the Dallas Public Schools and graduated from high school at 15 years old. She received an Associate in Science degree from North Texas Agriculture College in Arlington, Texas; both a Bachelor of Music and Louise Robyn System of Children’s Musical Training certification at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, Illinois; and a Master of Music from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
She joined the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur in Fort Worth, Texas where she taught for 20 years. Upon moving to Lawton, Marjorie taught for a few years at the Indian School, an experience she highly valued. She often told stories of her time there admiring the rich traditions and diversity of her students’ tribes and music.
She taught music at Cameron University and maintained a private piano studio at Frontier Music. She started the Academy of Musical Arts in 1983 where she taught piano. After closing the Academy to care for her mother, she taught private piano lessons in her home well into her 80s.
The driving force for Marjorie’s life was her faith. Her thirst for knowledge, her passion for music, her love of nature, and her celebration of diversity came from her desire to know, worship, and love God. She prayed unceasingly sharing her faith with her students, who have become leaders not only in music, but in a variety of areas from a Catholic Bishop to a cardiac surgeon.
Marjorie’s family, who were associated with the WFAA, a group responsible for bringing world-renowned performers to Dallas, brought their love of the arts to Lawton. Her cousin, Don Barton, started Storey and Barton School of Dance. A strong advocate for the Arts in Lawton, Marjorie held many officer positions at the local and state levels of the Music Teachers Association, Lawton Schubert Music Club, Federation of Music Clubs, and the National Guild of Piano Teachers.
She served as a judge at piano contests and festivals and led workshops throughout the state for decades. She played piano for several civic organizations and at many churches in Lawton. Marjorie was a devout Catholic and used her ability to perform, direct, and arrange music to serve Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and Holy Family Catholic Church.
She was the Music Director at Holy Family Catholic Church for over a decade. She taught religious education and RCIA classes and helped to inspire a love of God through music to the youth at Blessed Sacrament into her 90s. This Christmas, the Friends with Harps Youth String Ensemble, with which Marjorie was the accompanist, dedicated their music arrangement and performance at Blessed Sacrament’s Midnight mass to Marjorie.
She is survived by her students who are her musical legacy and great friends who are family. She will be greatly missed. More about Marjorie’s life can be found in an article written by seminarian, Zak Boazman, on page 8 of the September 16, 2018 issue of Sooner Catholic at www.
archokc.org. Memorial contributions may be made to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church or Holy Family Catholic Church.
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