07/08/2013
InMaricopa.com
May 1, 2011 - 6:10 am
[Farrell family: farmers, entrepreneurs]
Edward Farrell, Eddie Jay Farrell, grandson Charlie Davis and grandson Edward Farrell II in front.
Edward and Tootsie (Lenora) Farrell moved their family of four to Maricopa in January 1948. In the beginning the family lived northeast of Maricopa on the Nichols Ranch, but later bought land and built a home south of Maricopa on Farrell Road. Tootsie’s sister was the mother of Sonny Dunn.
Daughter Edna Farrell Davis remembers that she and her brother, Eddie Jay, began their school years in Maricopa and completed their early education at Maricopa High School.
“I was in the first grade, and Eddie Jay was three years old. Daddy leased the Jack Nichols place (northeast of Maricopa) and started cotton farming with the help of Uncle Floyd and Aunt Minnie Dunn. I was always so proud of my daddy because he only went through the fourth grade of school and he became one of the top farmers around the area and helped put Maricopa on the map.
“We lived way out in the country so I rode the bus 10 miles one way to school. I was the first one on the bus and the last one off. Grant and Iva Tow along with their five kids, Billy, Roberta, Cecil, Lois and Donald, lived just down the rode from us. We rode horses, climbed trees, rode bikes and just had fun. The old school in Maricopa had three huge rooms that held classes first through eighth grades. The school burned in 1953, but was replaced with beautiful red brick classrooms and a large cafeteria and auditorium together.
“We were the first graduating class of Maricopa High School, which would be in 1959. We got to pick school colors, class motto, held freshman initiation and got to organize the first painting of ‘M’ Mountain. We had to move and place the rocks in the shape of ‘M,’ and then we painted the ‘M’ for Maricopa.
“Maricopa was a small town, and it was like one big happy family. Everyone seemed to help one another. The Rotary Club organized a fundraiser in 1959 and called it Stagecoach Days. They served barbecue dinners, held cutting horse contests, stagecoach rides, beard contests, old time dress contests and more. They had a barn dance the night before. This would become an annual affair in Maricopa.
“Gene Davis was deputy sheriff from 1959-1961. Everyone called him “Sugarfoot” because he looked like that character on T.V. Gene and I married in February of 1961. (Today) we live in Velma, Okla., and have four children and seven grandchildren.”
Born on May 4, 1916, in Burkburnett, Texas, Edward Farrell I grew up during the depression and certainly knew what it was like to be poor. His mother and father separated early in his young life, and he and his brother lived with their father in Texas. He never saw anything of his mother and sister, Golden, until years later. Farrell married the sister of Sonny Dunn’s mother (Minnie Dunn) and moved his family to Maricopa in 1948. He worked hard and accomplished much during the 23 years allotted to him in Maricopa. Like most farmers in Maricopa, who stayed for any length of time, someone leased him land, and he made it work for him.
During the 1940-1950s Pinal County did not have the necessary equipment to maintain rural roads, and they contracted this service to the farmers who had the equipment to care for the roads in their area. When the county named the roads, they took on the names of the farmers who owned land in the area, hence, Farrell Road.
However, it was not farming alone that satisfied Farrell’s quick mind and vision. He saw opportunities that extended beyond farm boundaries in this small community that begged for exploration. He and his brother-in-law Jay Baldock brought the Maricopa Mercantile and the Maricopa Water Company from Silas Woods who was very happy to relinquish its ownership. When Woods had to spend more money than he wanted to make repairs with the water company, he compared it to throwing water to the wind. In addition, Farrell bought and operated an insurance agency for several years in Maricopa, and started the Tillage Company with a partner, Barney Rambacker. Later, he and his son, Eddie Jay, formed a partnership called Farrell and Farrell Tillage Company. Another enterprise he added to his many business holdings was Headquarters Bar where the legendary Trigger Ashby (WWII Bushmaster) worked and entertained its patrons for so many years. Then he added a restaurant and built a large room for Rotary Club and community gatherings at Headquarters Bar.
Farrell was gregarious, had a generous nature, was well known throughout the county, and very well politically connected. Unfortunately, he did not live long enough to see the small community turn into one of the fastest growing cities in America. He died in an automobile accident in the early morning hours at El Centro (a store and assortment of small cabins for cotton pickers a few miles south of Maricopa at Louis Johnson Road) in 1971. If he had survived that accident, he undoubtedly would have enthusiastically played a major role in building the city of Maricopa, relishing every moment of it. His legacy, however, is still alive and active today with his grandson, Edward Farrell II. Edward was not only the first to carry the title of Maricopa’s mayor, but led the way for its incorporation in 2003.
What does grandson, Edward Farrell II, remember about his grandfather? “I was five years old when he died. We lived right down the street from him, and I remember waiting at the farm road for him every day to come pick me up for a cruise around the farm to go check his crops. He always drove a car. I always thought that was kind of weird for a farmer. Farmers drove a truck, but Granddad drove a car. I remember being in the front seat with him driving around the farm and sharing some time with him. He seemed larger than life to me.
“My Grandmother Farrell’s name was Lenora Agatha Fulbright. She was born on July 15, 1916, and passed away when I was 10 so I got to know her a little better than my granddad. She was a homemaker. She took care of the family and was your typical wife and mother of the 40-50-60s where you had a home-cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the home was always immaculate. She never worked outside the home. She did a lot of volunteer work like granddad and the whole family has done throughout the years.
“My father was an entrepreneur, too. He was in the farming business. He was also in the tillage business and did contracting services for other farmers in the area who didn’t have enough equipment to supply their own farming needs. He owned Headquarters Restaurant and Bar, and the family owned and operated a laundromat. My dad was a very caring man who had a real soft heart for those people who were in need.
“The most vivid memory of my father is sharing sports with him as a kid. When I started playing team sports, whether it was Youth League or junior high or high school, my father never missed a game. I always enjoyed sharing time with him after a game whether it was when I was in the fifth grade or when I was in high school. He always sat me down, and we talked about it. It made me a much stronger player and person as far as evaluating life in general.
“My mother (Alma Gastelum Farrell) was born in 1944 in Florence, Ariz. My mother is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. She is my mentor. She’s a very bright, educated woman and, again, she’s been the kind of lady that has served the community all her life and still does today. She has kept our family together and been a rock for us as far as me and my sister, Jocelyn, goes. One of my favorite memories of growing up was my mom cooking fried chicken on Sunday afternoons for the family. I will always remember mom just being there for us no matter what the need.
“I remember when I was 10 years old; it was the bicentennial, and there was a huge celebration throughout the country and in our community. We had a parade through the town and a 4th of July fireworks show that lit up the sky at the park. I remember being a part of that and realizing how honored and proud I was to be an American. It hit home at the age of 10 and made you realize that America was a great place to be.
“I loved going to high school in Maricopa. I played sports. I played football, basketball and baseball. In big schools that is unheard of. In Maricopa I don’t even think I heard the word ‘tryout.’ If you wanted to play a sport, you played it. Two years out of my four years in high school, we made it to state championship, and one year we won. Three years out of my four years of high school, we made the State Basketball Tournament, went to the state championship one year and lost in overtime. In the two years out of my four years of high school, we went to state baseball and won it both times.1981-82 was a big year in Maricopa High School sports. We were state champions in football, big runner-ups in basketball and state champions in baseball.
“High school for me was the best time in my life. We were all very close. We had 44 graduating students in our class in 1984, and, out of those 44 students, 36 of us started kindergarten together. In 13 years of education, 36 of us were together for all those years, and it was like leaving a bunch of brothers and sisters. (the 1984 class was the first kindergarten class in Maricopa) We had the best of times, and we had the worst of times together, but whatever it was, whether it was winning that state championship or dealing with the flood in 1983, we always prevailed. Whatever it took, we survived and always stuck by each other.”
Edward recalled times that were not pleasant.. He remembered the disaster of the Challenger when the spaceship blew up off the coast of Florida, killing all aboard, in 1986, and the gas shortages and long lines at the gas pumps in Maricopa, too. He remembered the great flood of 1983, the destruction it left in its wake, and the weeks of clean up at the school. However, the worst time by far was when his father passed away in Edward’s junior year of high school.
