Mary Cecilia Farrell, 81 passed away peacefully at home while working in her garden on Saturday April 19th. Mary was born on August 13, 1943 to Frank and Francis Boudewyns in California, moving to Des Moines as a child. Mary graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy in 1961 and spent the majority of her career raising her six children. She then went to work for the Iowa Department for the Blind in the braille department until she retired in 2002.

Mary was a backstage volunteer for many years with the Des Moines Playhouse, where some considered her to be backstage royalty.

While she loved the theater, her passion was her garden. You would always find her with a shovel in hand and playing in the dirt. She loved sharing her plants and produce with neighbors and friends.

Anyone who knew Mary knows that she was a lifelong learner, a creative writer, a fierce advocate for equity and inclusion, and a really good cook.

Mary leaves behind her six children, Michael (Kristin) Farrell, Amy (Tom) Schwarber, Patrick (Monica) Farrell, Peter Farrell, Molly Linford, and John Rowley as well as her 12 grandchildren and three great grandchildren and her brother Daniel Boudewyns.

Family, friends, and all who knew her are welcome to attend Mary’s Celebration of Life, at the Thoreau Center (3500 Kingman Blvd., Des Moines) on Sunday June 29th at 12:30 p.m.