Kevin Farrell

Kevin Farrell of Concord, Vermont passed away on 9/1/2026 at his home in the mountains with his beloved dog Jimmy by his side. He is survived by his siblings: Thomas Farrell and his wife, Anne Foley; Maureen Farrell; Patrick Farrell and his wife, Karen Farrell; Eileen Farrell Shepard and her husband, Robert Shepard; and several nieces and nephews.

Kevin was born in Warwick, RI in 1957, the third of five children to Tom and Peg Farrell and a classic middle child. He formed deep and lasting friendships (and engaged in lots of shenanigans) with his childhood friends, some of whom he later honored by naming one of his several dogs after them. These lifelong friends were all special to him and Kevin’s family is grateful for their support of him.

Kevin (aka “Scruff”) graduated from Nasson College in Maine in 1979 with a degree in Mathematics. He made the most of his studies and even more of his leisure time. He continued his study of Mathematics and went on to earn his Master’s from the University of Vermont and his PhD from the University of Rhode Island.

After several teaching stints at various colleges in New England, Kevin relocated to the Northeast Kingdom and served as Professor of Mathematics at Lyndon State College (later Northern Vermont University). He taught there for over 30 years and was legendary for his passion for math and for teaching. Affectionately referred to as “Doc”, he was a well-known personality on campus, known for playing basketball with his students, sharing produce from his garden and homemade beef jerky with his students, and holding Zoom office hours at crazy times. In 2001 he was selected as Faculty Member of the Year by the student body, an honor that meant the world to him.

Apart from math and teaching, Kevin’s greatest passions were basketball, his garden, and his dogs. He started most days on the basketball court by taking up to 300 shots. In addition to playing with his students, he loved to take to the court with his nephews. “Even into his 50s, he had a sweet jump shot,” recalls his nephew Dan, who never did beat him one on one.

He loved his home and working the beautiful land where he cultivated a spectacular vegetable garden. He was a meat and potatoes guy though, so he gave most of his produce away to his students, family, and neighbors. His nieces, nephews, and friends fondly recall receiving packages of massive carrot bunches crusted in dirt. Kevin relished the friendship and generosity of his neighbors, who referred to him as “The Professor”. He was loved by the community and (mostly) celebrated for his eccentricities.

Coming from a family of dog-lovers, Kevin was never without a yellow labrador retriever as his faithful companion. His dogs were Charlie, Billy, Mike, Bobby, and Jimmy, and he centered his life around them, giving them long walks on or near his property or at the ocean when he was home visiting his parents in Rhode Island. With so much on his plate, training his dogs was not a top priority, but each one of them was joyful, exuberant, and deeply attached to Kevin.

Kevin was deeply sentimental and very attentive to his parents throughout their lifetime, particularly in their last years. He ended every visit and phone call with his trademark goodbye, an affectionate “Catch ya later”.

Donations in Kevin’s memory to Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) are welcome and appreciated.

Memories and condolences may be shared with family at saylesfh.com.