Anne Farrell Obituary

Anne Byron Knowlton Farrell, 82, died at home on February 12, 2026, in Denver, CO, after living with Neuroendocrine Carcinoid cancer for the past 16 years. To the end, her spirit was not ready to stop living life to the fullest.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia on September 5, 1943, to the late Negus Wolcott Knowlton (Capt. U.S. Navy) and Helen Leila Tapia Knowlton, Anne Byron was raised in Virginia, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. Anne cherished joyous memories of childhood summers spent in Mobile, Alabama with her maternal grandparents and Stimpson cousins and active summers enjoying North Carolina’s mountains and beaches with her paternal grandparents and Wright cousins.

Anne graduated from Annandale High School in 1961. Her high school yearbook attests that her ability to throw great parties started at a young age. She graduated from Middlebury College where she earned a B.A. in History in 1965. At Middlebury, Anne was again known for throwing great parties as the Tri-Delt social chair, and also for her involvement in the Young Democrats.

In her adult life, Anne lived in Media, PA; Cohasset, MA; Burke, VA; Parris Island, SC; Annandale, VA; and Denver, CO. Despite these many moves, Anne was able to develop an impactful career as a social worker specializing in career development for displaced workers, at-risk youth, and refugees. Through her work implementing the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), and finally the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Anne helped train and coach thousands of economically disadvantaged individuals seeking better lives through meaningful employment.

Following her retirement in 2004, Anne moved to Denver to care for four of her grandchildren. She spent countless hours on bleachers and sidelines cheering them on and spent even more time at home regaling them with stories of family history and traditions. When she was not spending time with her family or preparing for her over-the-top Christmas celebrations, Anne was volunteering for the Denver Democratic Party. Anne received the Denver Democrats’ 2011 Selma Lock Volunteer of the Year Award and the 2025 Frank Sullivan Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her many years of service. True to form, Anne gave a presentation on voter registration twelve days before her death.

Anne was pre-deceased by her beloved and devoted husband of 45 years, John Patrick Farrell, who died on August 9, 2025. Anne and John enjoyed a long marriage full of love, respect, laughter, family celebrations, travel and mutual support. As Anne’s cancer progressed and as John’s Alzheimer’s disease was revealed, the two lived their lives as dedicated caregivers for each other. Anne was pre-deceased by her only sibling, Marie Wheeler Knowlton, who was born with cerebral palsy in 1946 and died in 1959.

Anne is survived by her three children and their spouses, Jennifer Elizabeth Farrell and Thomas Maiden (New York, NY), Marie Avery Moses and David Moses (Denver, CO), and James Byron (“Jeb”) Avery and Christine Avery (Denver, CO), and her six grandchildren, Kenneth Moses, Helen Moses, Janine (“Jaye”) Avery, Alexis Avery, Elizabeth Maiden, and Vivienne Maiden. She is also survived by many cherished in-laws from the Farrell, Moses and Avery families.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Neuroendocrine Cancer Foundation, https://www.ncf.net/donate. Without NCF’s work and the dedication of the doctors and staff at the University of Colorado Anschutz Cancer Center, Anne never would have lived such a long and full life.

Family and friends are invited to join a celebration of Anne’s life on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 11:00am at the Phillips Social Hall at the Denver Jewish Community Center, 350 S. Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80246, with a reception to follow. A burial will take place at Arlington National Cemetery on May 12, 2026 at 1 p.m.