Annette Farrell-Rotter

A Tribute to my Mom
My beloved mother, Annette, was born into a military family in Aberdeen, Maryland. Her father, Edward Francis Farrell, a sergeant major for the Army Medic and mother, Lourdes Barcinas Yamanaka of Guam, a homemaker, moved the family all over. She was an excellent student who never got in trouble. She nurtured and encouraged her siblings, Toni, Gussie, and Genette. Her job at a nursery stimulated her love for beautiful plants and fueled her lifelong green thumb. Friends and family alike benefited from her keen interest and knowledge of plants. Her professional career was at the Internal Revenue Service where she was a hard-working, successful, and extremely efficient systems analyst. Throughout her illustrious career, she received outstanding reviews every year. My mom was asked to be senior management multiple times but turned them down so she did not have to move. Early in her IRS career, she was trained by Dave, with whom she later fell in love. Soon after, they established a happy household in Pflugerville. She was a natural at motherhood, easily being a supporting stepmother to Melissa and Kelly. Despite the fact that my mother was very dedicated in her career she never missed an opportunity to encourage me in any of my activities. I treasure the support that she always gave me by attending all my soccer games, band recitals, and award ceremonies. As a child I always had the benefit of having her there for me. After 34 years of working at the IRS, she retired to enjoy old interests and discover new hobbies. Retirement allowed her to spend more time with her grandchildren, Hannah, Seth, Avery, and Parker. She was always a loving presence in their lives. With new found time in retirement she pursued many crafts including diamond painting, cross stitching, and reading. She was the master chef of the kitchen. Her specialties were enchiladas, wontons, tacos, and spaghetti. I would always volunteer to be her first taste tester because I knew everything she made would be great. My mom always had a diet coke in her hand and tabasco sauce at the ready. Twister, Erin Brockovich, and National Treasure were frequently watched. If you were not mistaken, you would have thought it was Christmas year-round with the Hallmark Channel always on playing a Christmas movie. She would always be willing to change the channel to sports and wrestling as long as the show was being recorded. Not many things bothered her but, the things that always got on her nerves were coined “That damn ______”. The color purple was her favorite along with floral shirts and black Birkenstocks. Her sense of fashion was not the greatest, but she was always up to date with the latest James Avery charms for her bracelets. Christmas was her favorite holiday, decking the halls, collecting every ornament, and making treats for all to enjoy. Her kindhearted and affectionate qualities were the brightest during the holidays. Throughout my life, she was the smartest lady I knew. My mom was always giving out the best advice but was straight to the point and never sugar coated anything. In every part of her whole life she was the most caring, nurturing, and loving person in all that she did. Not only was she one of a kind, but she was the best MOM that anyone could ask for.
Love you more 😎💜