@chadnorthrup

In the summer of 1992 my college housing assignment arrived in the mail. I remember having a lot of anxiety that day because I'd been assigned to Topliff Room #313, a single. I wondered how I'd managed to make any friends when I was living all alone. My parents convinced me I'd be OK, but I was still nervous the day they dropped me off and helped move me into my new home. While we were unpacking, a freshman who hailed from Dudley MA dropped by to introduce himself. His name was John Bennett, and he lived in a double down the hall (John would go on to become another fraternity brother and lifelong friend of mine). I asked John what his roommate was like, and he sort of shrugged and described him as a "surfer from the Jersey Shore". That was Tim.

I don't remember exactly when I first met Tim, but I'm fairly certain he was shirtless when I did. The guy simply didn't like to wear shirts unless he had to. He looked like someone who was born to play sports, and I soon found out he excelled on the track. I remember being thoroughly entertained by the fact that he was the exact opposite of his roommate John. John was conservative and a tad on the confrontational side, while Tim clearly had a "live and let live" philosophy and was as mellow as they come. Tim pledged a fraternity that year even though he technically was not allowed to do so until sophomore year. John & I bore witness to Tim being forcibly dragged out of the room at odd hours of the night by men who looked like they were straight out of Animal House:

It's strange to think we'd pledge that same fraternity one year later (fortunately by then they'd eliminated the pledge period that Tim was forced to endure!)

So Tim & I became Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) fraternity brothers and shared countless experiences together. Volunteering. Meals. BBQ's. Parties. The endless party term known simply as "Sophomore Summer". Tim was someone who rarely lacked a smile or a kind word, but he wasn't afraid to stand up for what he believed in. I wish Flip Mino HD cameras had existed back then so I could have documented some of the fun times we had in that house.

Ummm... on second thought, maybe I don't wish that. :-)

One of my last times spent with Tim would have been in late May or early June of 1996. It was a couple of weeks before graduation and as fate would have it, Tim & I didn't have jobs yet. A fellow frat brother worked for a company called Wing.Net that was hiring, so Tim & I were invited to interview in East Berlin CT. At the time I was driving a 1984 Volkswagen Jetta with a brake system that had deteriorated to almost nothing. Fortunately it had a manual transmission so I could stop our forward momentum by downshifting. Plus we figured East Berlin was a fairly straight shot down I-91, so hopefully I wouldn't have to stop the car all that much on the trip. Tim & I put on our best khakis & tweed jackets and headed down there for our big job opportunities. I remember during the return trip we spent a lot of time talking about how we couldn't believe we'd be leaving Dartmouth for good in just a couple of weeks. We both knew we'd been blessed with a great college experience and some lifelong friendships, but now it was time to leave the nest and see what we could make of ourselves. At the time it would have seemed crazy to think that just 13 years later I'd be recounting these memories in the same text that contained Tim's obituary.

I'm sad to think that Tim isn't around to read my memories of him and share a laugh, but I'm so glad that I got to know him. Rest in peace Tim, and thanks for being a part of some of the best years of my life.

Timothy Francis Farrell

(Asbury Park Press)

TIMOTHY FRANCIS FARRELL
AGE: 35 FORMERLY OF OCEAN TOWNSHIP
Timothy Francis Farrell, 35, of Falls Church, Va., died Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, in Frankfurt, Germany. Tim was born April 10, 1974 in Ocean Township and raised there. He attended Ocean Township High School, where he was a member of the Honor Society and a four year Spartan Scholar. He captained the cross country team and was a member of the wrestling team. He has a track record that still stands since 1991. In 2006, he was elected to the Ocean Township Hall of Fame. He entered Dartmouth College in 1992 and graduated in the Class of 1996. At Dartmouth, he was a member of the track team. He was a four year recipient of the Inter Collegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America.(ICAAAA) He was also elected to the All-Ivy League Team, First Team, in 1992-1993 and 1994-1995. In 1995, he received the prestigious Nathan D. Bugbee 1925 Track Prize. He studied in Scotland for a semester at Edinburgh University. He also served as an intern for Congressman Chris Smith. Tim joined the Marine Corps in 1997 and was a decorated Marine captain, stationed in San Diego, deployed to Japan and the mideast. He also served on the USS Harper's Ferry as a logistics officer. He earned a Masters in International Relations at San Diego State. At the time of his death, he was working for the State Department as Vice-Consul in the US Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany. Tim married Heather Nalley on Nov. 21, 2004.
He is survived by Heather; his parents, Pat and Frank Farrell; his sister, Meghan; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Sue and Bob Nalley; and many loving aunts, uncles and cousins and friends.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19 at the Fiore Funeral Home, 236 Monmouth Road, Ocean Township. A Funeral Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 20 at the Roman Catholic Church of the Ascension, 501 Brinley Ave., Bradley Beach. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Timothy Farrell Memorial Fund, Township of Ocean School District, 550 West Park Ave., Oakhurst, NJ 07755, c/o Julia Davidow.
SEMPER FI