Bernard Joseph 'BJ' Farrell

May 26, 1928 - Feb. 16, 2009

MESA, Ariz. -- Bernard Joseph "BJ" Farrell, 80, of Mesa, Ariz., passed away peacefully on Monday, Feb. 16, 2009, surrounded by his family, after a long battle with lung disease.

BJ was born May 26, 1928, in McCook, the fourth and youngest son of Frank and Genevieve Farrell. The family farmed near Danbury, Lebanon and Palisade, where BJ finished high school in 1946. He attended college in Lincoln, then served as a clerk in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force.

He became a clerk for the Burlington Northern Railroad in McCook and Denver, then managed their credit union in Denver. He spent 40 years managing credit unions in Denver, Sterling and Pueblo, Colo. He was instrumental in the local, national and international credit union movement. In 1982, he founded Farrell Accounting near Denver with his son, Joe.

He was active in the Knights of Columbus and the Elks.

In 1950, he married Wilma Jean Hickert in New Almelo, Kan.

He is survived by his wife and five children, Jim (Kathy), Joe (Ginny), Ed (Mary Jo), Patty (Mark) and Kathy, along with nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He is also survived by his brother, Warren of McCook and Kansas City, Kan., as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

BJ will be laid to rest with full military honors in May in Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.

Memorial donations may be sent to Hospice of the Southwest, 450 N. Dobson, Suite 108, Mesa, AZ 85201.