JOHN FARRELL: His Town, His
Home
He got up every weekday morning before the sun rose,
drove his beat-up truck to a Basking Ridge, N.J., train
station glittering with Lexuses and Volvos, and began an
hour-and-half commute to Lower Manhattan. There, in an
office tower that sometimes swayed in the wind, he put in
long hours as a managing director for the Sandler O'Neill
investment banking firm.
It took another 90 minutes to get back to that old
truck. But then John Farrell would be truly home.
There, in Basking Ridge, was his wife, Maryanne, who
caught his eye way back in the 70's at Bernards High
School just down the road. There, too, were his four
children; the oldest was 12, the youngest just 3.
"He grew up in a small town, met his wife in a small
town," said Bob Bush, the best man at his wedding and a
friend from high school. "He wanted his children to have
the same experience that he had in a small town."
Bob Kumpf, another high school friend and now a
Basking Ridge police captain, agreed: "He made the trek
into the city everyday, those long hours and that long
commute, because it was the best thing for his
family."
At 41, John Farrell knew the value of simple things.
At one of many backyard gatherings, surrounded by family
members and old buddies, he leaned over and said: "You
know what, Kumpfy? It doesn't get any better than
this."
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