lit a candle 20h ago83 years old. Spent his whole career helping veterans hear again after they'd already given so much. Thinking of Jeffrey and Joanna right now.
Their story
Dudley Emerson "Skip" Farrell, a longtime audiologist who spent much of his career caring for military veterans, died peacefully on September 9, 2026, in Pacific Junction, Iowa, at the age of 83. He was not a nationally famous figure; his life was documented in local obituaries rather than a Wikipedia…
Dudley Emerson "Skip" Farrell, a longtime audiologist who spent much of his career caring for military veterans, died peacefully on September 9, 2026, in Pacific Junction, Iowa, at the age of 83. He was not a nationally famous figure; his life was documented in local obituaries rather than a Wikipedia biography, but he was well known and deeply respected in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, where he practiced for decades, and in Mason City and Clear Lake, Iowa, where he grew up.
Farrell was the grandson of Jay Decker of the Jacob E. Decker and Sons Meat Packing Company. He spent boyhood summers sailing, riding horses, and hunting with dogs, interests he kept for the rest of his life. He began his working life teaching high school English in rural Iowa before a growing interest in hearing science led him to graduate study in audiology at the University of Colorado, where he earned a doctorate. In 1982 he joined the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in Maryland, and within a few years he moved his practice to the Omaha VA Medical Center after resettling in Council Bluffs.
Colleagues and family remembered him as someone whose devotion to patients outweighed a personal wariness of new gadgets. His Globe Gazette obituary called him a begrudging and belated adopter of new technology who nonetheless diligently monitored advances used to diagnose and treat veterans' hearing loss. After retiring from full-time practice he continued to teach, regularly driving to Lincoln, Nebraska, in all kinds of weather to train and mentor audiology students at the University of Nebraska. He held the credentials Ph.D., CCC-A, and was licensed as an audiologist-hearing aid fitter in Nebraska, with a long association with the Omaha VA Medical Center at 4101 Woolworth Avenue.
Outside work his loyalties were simple and steady: favorite restaurants remembered for a good cinnamon roll or hamburger, a lifelong friendship with Dr. Nick Nonas whose family restaurant he spoke of fondly, and an affection for Irish music he indulged at spots such as Louie M's and the Brazen Head. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Dorothy Decker Farrell, and by his wife, Dr. Jan Jones Farrell.
He is survived by his son Jeffrey Farrell; his daughter Joanna (William) Schuth; his granddaughter Sophia; and his lifelong friend Dr. Nick Nonas. In his memory the family asked that donations be made to Disabled American Veterans or the Midlands Humane Society. Funeral arrangements were associated with Heafey Hoffmann Dworak Cutler Mortuaries. No cause of death was made public.
Biography adapted from Obituary published in the Globe Gazette (Mason City) via Legacy.com (id 62497551); NPI / VA audiology practice records; University of Northern Iowa alumni note.
In their own words
“Generally a begrudging and belated adopter of new technology, Skip's commitment to his patients always overcame his personal suspicion of gizmos.”
Photos
1Dudley Emerson Skip Farrell
by People Forever
That VA work never gets enough credit. Sorry for their loss.