Patty Farrington

It is with great sadness that we announce our beloved mother, Patty Louise Farrington (Gallagher) of Columbus, Ohio passed away on May 12, 2019.

Patty was born on February 18th, 1947 in Pittsburgh, PA and turned 72 this past year. She was preceded in death by her father, George Gallagher, mother, Katheryn Kinder (Hackenberg) and sister DeLaura Gallagher. She is survived by her husband of almost 50yrs, Jerry Farrington, her children Ricky Valentik, Vaedra(Rob) Hall, Amy Farrington, Jason(Allison) Farrington, step daughter Dawn Farrington, ex-son in law Lance(Kelly) Hall, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, sisters, brother, nieces and nephews.

She grew up in Vermillion on the Lake and Elyria Ohio. As the oldest of ten children she spent her formative years helping to care for her siblings, it is here that we believe she developed her love for nurturing those around her. Growing up she attended Catholic school and yearned to help others so much so, that she wanted to join the armed forces but sadly was denied due to her scoliosis. Once she reached Columbus she planted her roots and developed her lifelong love of helping others into a career in child care. She only recently stopped working and was finding it very difficult to give up because she loved the children and what she did very much. As lucky as she was with the children she cared for over the years, being able to watch four of her grandchildren was one of the highlights of her life!

Spending time with her family was very important to her. It could be as simple as getting coffee and playing sudoku with Jerry at one of their local hangouts, to going to their favorite park to spend hours upon hours enjoying the outdoors, talking, walking and meditating. She looked forward to her multiple daily chats with her best friend and her sister Maureen or any one of her children. She also enjoyed holidays or special occasions but really she just loved getting together to watch a movie or play cards. She could never really pass up a good card game! She loved dancing and always had a smile or hug to share, not to mention a great laugh. She somehow always made us laugh, whether she meant to or not. We swear the older she got, the funnier she became and that was never more apparent than on her late night drives with Vaedra, Cheyenne and friends! She was a night owl-so it was the perfect opportunity to spend some extra time with family, just driving around listening to music, laughing, stargazing...and it may have included several stops for milkshakes and onions rings over the years! She was always on the hunt for the perfect onion ring!!!

Mom embodied a spirit that was nothing short of unique. She would wear her red or blue “grandmother” sweatshirt one day and then turn around and wear something leopard print the next. She would give hugs and pass out cookies one moment but then wouldn’t mind sharing one of her favorite rum and ginger ales the next minute! She loved nature, music and diving into her ever evolving spiritual practices. She was a certified Reiki Master and Medicine Reiki Master offering her services both locally and globally. She was always quick to offer help to others with a loving heart. From a young age she danced to the beat of a different drummer, this remained true throughout her life. That one of a kind rhythm stuck with her as she learned to beat her own drum, a drum that became very special to her.  She would use it to celebrate many occasions, a spiritual routine or a midnight moon dance! She loved doing her moon dances but one thing she loved even more was the ocean. She loved everything about the ocean and always felt at peace whenever she was lucky enough to be near it. One of her greatest dreams was to move somewhere near the beach. Sadly that dream never came true but don’t worry mother, we will get you there one day soon……….

There is no doubt that our hearts are broken but we find some solace in knowing that she decided to be with her mother on Mother’s Day, for we all know she loved and missed her so very much. We know that she’s somewhere out there dancing on stars, still beating her drum and finally able to breathe again.

Mom didn’t want us to mourn her loss, rather rejoice in her memory; therefore, we will hold a celebration in her honor on June 15th, open house 5-8 at The Ohio Wildlife Center 9000 Dublin Rd Powell, OH, 43065. The Ohio Wildlife Center is dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of Ohio’s native wildlife through rehabilitation, education and wildlife health studies. Mom loved nature and will be paying it forward as proceeds from the barn rental benefit the center and aid in the care of animals like raccoons, owls and red tailed hawks - two of which are mom’s totem animals. Food and drinks will be provided so bring a smile and a few of your favorite stories to share!

In lieu of flowers or gifts, you may send any donations to Vaedra Hall (7900 Stanburn Rd, Col. OH, 43235) to help cover the cost of the funeral expenses...Thank you.

As our mother would say,

"Bless your hearts,

In Love and Light…."

Sincerely, Patty’s Family