Dr. John David Farrell Sr., a Reston pediatrician for more than 40 years, died Sept. 18 at age 79 after a long illness.

Dr. Farrell, originally from Clarksburg, W. Va., was a 1955 graduate of Campion Jesuit High School, a Jesuit boarding school for boys in Prairie du Chien, Wis. He was a 1959 graduate of the University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Farrell completed his medical training in 1965 after his internship at Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, and residency at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

After completing his medical training Dr. Farrell served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps at the U. S. Naval Hospital, Pediatrics, Camp Lejeune, N.C. In 1968-69, he served in Vietnam pacification program as a Navy pediatric physician advisor II corps, Milphap Team N-4 in Nha Trang and Saigon treating plaque, malaria and tuberculosis.

After being discharged in 1969, he continued to serve in the U. S. Navy Reserves receiving an honorable discharge as Lieutenant Commander April 1975. He received the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and Vietnam Campaign Medal.

After his military service, Dr. Farrell moved to Reston in 1971, establishing Farrell Pediatrics in Hunters Woods Village Center.

In 1985, he moved his practice to Sunset Hills Professional Center. The practice still bears his name and has provided care to thousands of young patients in Northern Virginia.

“Dr. Farrell was such a good clinician that in 1989, when my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, he knew the diagnosis before the blood test came back,” said Reston resident John Farrell, a lawyer who often joked with the doctor because the two shared the same name.

Dr. Farrell was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Marcus E. Farrell and his mother, Mae Ann (Hurray) Farrell. His first wife, Carol (Aston) Farrell, died in November 2015 in Raleigh, NC.

He is survived by his wife Nancy; brother Marcus E. Farrell Jr. (wife Ellen); son John David Farrell Jr. (wife Kerry and grandchildren Victor, Patrick and David); Laura Farrell Page (husband Jeff and grandchildren, Carter, Natalie and Logan); Michael Farrell and Julene Farrell; and stepdaughter Cynthia Connell (husband Paul and grandchildren Brian and Kevin).

Family will receive guests on Friday, Oct. 28 from 6-8 p.m. with a memorial service to be held Saturday, Oct. 29 (time and location pending).

More information and a condolence book can be found at www.adamsgreen.com.

Photo: Dr. John D. Farrell Sr./Family photo via Adams Green Funeral Home.

Heidi Merkel, a senior planner with the Fairfax Department of Planning and Zoning who was instrumental in organizing and implementing the Reston Master Plan Special Study and plan amendment, died of cancer July 19. She was 49.

Merkel, of Arlington, is survived by her husband, Bill, and three children: Caroline, 15; Samuel, 12; and Caleb, 7; her father, Leland Tolo of West Hartford, Ct.; her brother, Paul Tolo, and sister-in-law, Jennifer Tolo, of Sammamish, Wash.; and her many beloved nieces and nephews.

Merkel attended high school in West Hartford, Ct., then received her bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College and studied Urban and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She began her professional career as an Associate Planner for the City of Danbury.

Merkel joined Fairfax County’s Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) in 1995. She later took five years off to raise her family, but after returning in 2007, she worked tirelessly to help move Reston into the future.

The Master Plan amendments were approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2014 and ’15.

“Heidi was a gem,” said land use lawyer Mark Looney, who served on the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force. The task force held dozens of meetings over four years, and Merkel attended most of them, even while battling her illness. Read More

Reston native Daryl Rodney Smith died on May 12 following a short illness. He was 50.

Daryl was the son of Rodney E. Smith and Alene Smith and the older of their two children.

Daryl was born on Feb. 5, 1966 and grew up in Reston. He attended Lake Anne Elementary School, Herndon Middle School and Herndon High School. At HHS, he played football and participated in band.

He continued his education at Tennessee State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 1991.

Daryl worked for George Mason University and then at American Systems Corporation in Chantilly for 24 years.

Daryl was a loving son, uncle and brother. He loved sports, “The Simpsons,” playing computer games, eating popcorn and encouraging his nephew, Thomas Mayo, in his football career.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. He is survived by his mother, Alene; sister, Leslie; nieces, Asheligh and Amber; nephews Thomas and Tory; grandnieces, Ayianna, Amariee, and Jamirah; and grandnephews Antonio and Jose.

Services were previously held. Contributions may be made to the Autism Society, 4340 East West Highway, Bethesda, Md., 20814.

Manny Hershkowitz, a longtime Reston resident who was known for his active pursuits as a retiree, died last month at Ashby Ponds in Ashburn. He was 99.

Manny and his wife, Ruth, lived in Reston for more than 30 years, relocating from New York in 1974 to be near grown children.

At age 82, Manny became the oldest ball boy to work the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. That earned him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

He competed several times in the Virginia Senior Olympics and the National Senior Olympics and was an avid softball and bridge player. His needlepoint works were also displayed at Reston Community Center in recent years.

Manny retired twice — from the fur industry in New York and later as a furniture salesman at Bloomingdales at Tysons Corner.

“I think being so active keeps me young,” Hershkowitz told the Washington Times in 2003. “I think age is a state of mind.”

He was a World War II veteran and was married to Ruth Hershkowitz for 73 years. They had three children, five grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Manny is survived by his wife Ruth, children, Stephen (Louise), Jared (Fran) and Meryl (Peter); grandchildren, Rana (Mark), Jo (Steve), Arianna, Brittany and Steven; great grandchildren, James, Sean, Alan and Jason.

Donations may be made in his memory to the Ashby Pond Scholarship Fund or the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation Religious School.

Photo: Manny Hershkowitz/Legacy.com

Adam Carlton Levine, 21, of Reston, died early Saturday in Miami following complications from a seizure, his family said.

Levine was a 2013 graduate of Herndon High School who was a junior Political Science major at the University of Miami.

At Miami, he was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and was active in undergraduate student government.

Levine’s larger-than-life personality and witty sense of humor made him the life of the party, whether it was a gathering of two or a stadium full of fellow students.

“Truly beloved by all, Adam’s outgoing, caring personality and sense of humor was known to always make his friends smile,” Miami’s Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Whitely said in a statement. “With a remarkably joyful disposition, he enjoyed helping his fellow students.”

Levine spent a semester abroad in Sydney, Australia, last year and had plans to enroll in dental school after graduation.

He had a passion for leadership and helping others, working when he was a teen as a teacher at Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation’s (NVHC) religious school and as a counselor at its summer camp for preschoolers.

Robert Nosanchuk, a family friend and the former rabbi at NVHC, said Levine has always been “the kind of kid people gravitated toward.”

“I first met him when he was nine, and that was the same kid at 21 the students at University of Miami will miss,” said Nosanchuk. “He was so affectionate and open hearted. He defined loyalty and protection. I saw that time and again. If this [tragedy] had happened to someone else, he would care more than anyone else. He was such a loyal, consistent friend.”

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 22 at NVHC, 1441 Wiehle Ave. in Reston.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Camp Harlam Memorial Fund, c/o NVHC.

Photos courtesy Levine family

Mary Ellen Craig, a retired attorney and former Reston Association president, died on June 12, surrounded by her family.

Her death was caused by Alzheimer’s disease, which she had been battling with her characteristic grace and courage for the prior four years., her family said. Despite the ravages of the disease, Mary Ellen never lost her humor, compassion, and good cheer.

She was born in Indianapolis, IN, on March 4, 1939 and was raised by her mother Kathryn Smith and her extended family while her father Howard Craig served as a World War II paratrooper in the South Pacific. Mary Ellen went to Purdue on a full-ride academic scholarship to study nutrition and home economics and, upon graduation, enrolled in one of the first Peace Corps classes, spending two years in Chile and making friends and gaining life experiences that she’d reflect fondly on for the rest of her life.

Mary Ellen earned a Master’s degree from Columbia University and served as Dean of Women at Denison University before marrying Charles Alan Kase and raising her two children. Once her youngest child was enrolled in full-time elementary school, Mary Ellen jumped back into her professional life, earning a Law Degree from American University and serving and an intern for the Honorable Frank Q. Nebeker on the DC Superior Court before going into private practice in 1980.

Mary Ellen established a partnership with Susan Norwitch that she later developed into the Craig, Hirsch and Ellenberger LLP practice that she retired from in 2006. Mary Ellen lived in Reston, Virginia from 1971 through 2014 and deeply loved the town. She served Reston as President of the Forest Edge PTA and President of the Reston Association (2000-01) and as an ombudsman for Fairfax County and was active in many other church and community groups.

Mary Ellen left behind two children, Marc Kase and Stephanie Zucker; three grandchildren, Nathan, Katie and Bella Zucker; and her sister Tara Rinker. Mary Ellen loved to travel and all of her children and grandchildren and most of her relatives and friends can share wonderful stories of traveling the world with her. She also left behind a cat named Jazzie that loved only her, closets full of stylish and quirky outfits, and walls full of art from the Greater Reston Arts Center.

Mary Ellen was a wonderful parent, sister, daughter, aunt, niece, friend, role model and companion to all of us and will be sorely missed.

There will be a VA memorial service will be held at the Walker Nature Education Center, 1145 Glade Dr., on July 5 at 2 p.m. She will be buried at her family’s burial plot at the Franklin Greenlawn Cemetary in Frankin, IN on July 7 at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests that donations be made to two charities Mary Ellen was passionate about:

Boys to Men Mentoring Network 9587 Tropico Drive La Mesa, CA 91941 www.boystomen.org.

Mountain Stewardship & Outdoor Leadership (SOL) School PO Box 18111 Morgantown, WV 26508 www.mountainsol.org.

John Alciati, the former President and CEO of the Greater Reston Arts Center, died Tuesday after battling cancer. He was 65.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Lawrence John Alciati Jr. was a longtime Reston resident who also had a home in Wellfleet, Mass.

Alciati led GRACE from 2006 to 2012, but remained on GRACE’s Board of Directors. He also was active in the Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR).

He and his wife Marianne were regulars at Reston’s charity, social and arts events. They also enjoyed extensive travel, and just last summer camped their way through Alaska and Western Canada.

At his home on Cape Cod, Alciati worked as a docent at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary of the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

Alciati was a a graduate of Georgetown University and formerly was an executive at the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C.

A memorial service will be held on May 30 at 11 a.m. at St. Thomas a Becket Catholic Church, 1421 Wiehle Ave. in Reston.

Friends may offer condolences on the online guest book at Adams Green Funeral Home’s website.

Photo: John Alciati/Facebook

Bradford C. Smith of Oak Hill passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015.

He was the beloved husband of Maria E. Smith and devoted father of Melina Smith and Silvana Smith.

Brad was born in 1956 in Amityville, NY. He later moved to Falls Church, where he graduated from George C. Marshall High School. He attended George Mason University and worked as a systems engineering contractor in the government sector.

Brad married the love of his life, Maria, in 1992. He was a kind, loving husband who adored his wife and enjoyed sharing his passion for music, biking and life with her. Their home together has always been a revolving door as Brad loved hosting friends for outdoor barbecues and social gatherings.

As a loving father, Brad spent many years coaching his daughters’ soccer teams, taking them to music and play practices, and truly enjoying watching them blossom. He was so proud of his girls.

In lieu of flowers, donations to an educational fund for Brad’s children may be made to Maria E. Smith and mailed to:

Northwest Federal Credit Union
Attn: Nicolette Watkins
9730 Liberia Ave.
Manassas, VA 20110

Wendi Kaufman, an accomplished writer who lived in Fox Mill, died on Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. She was 50.

Kaufman’s collection of short stories, Helen on 86th Street, is set to be published by Stillhouse Press in September.

Kaufman was a graduate of George Mason University’s MFA writing program. She was a frequent contributor to Washingtonian and The Washington Post. Her fiction writing had been published in the New Yorker, as well as many literary journals and magazines.

“I grew up in a sleepy town in the Hudson River Valley, about an hour from New York City, the kind of place Washington Irving wrote about,” Kaufman told an interviewer who used the original Helen on 86th Street story as a classroom assignment.

“I always felt it was a boring town, a place where nothing ever happened. What I didn’t realize was that the most important things were happening around me every day, the drama of daily life.”

A New York native, Kaufman was a winner of the Mary Roberts Rhinehart Award for Short Fiction and was a Breadloaf Writer’s Conference Scholar in Fiction. She also was a fellowship awardee from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

Kaufman was also a voracious reader. She once gave this advice for young writers:

“Simple: Read, read, read. And, of course, keep writing. There are things that come out on the page, when pen hits paper, that you weren’t expecting, that you didn’t plan for. Those are the moments we all strive for. Writing is about possibilities, about freedom of the blank page.”

Kaufman was a member of Shoreshim of Reston. She is survived by her husband, David, and two teenage sons, Alex and Eli.

Memorial contributions can be made to Inova’s Life With Cancer Program.

 Photo: Wendi Kaufman/Credit: Elizabeth Osborne

Marcella Urban, a longtime resident of Thoreau Place in Reston, died June 5.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, she made Kent, Ohio, her home for 60 years and was married to Daniel Urban (deceased). She moved to Thoreau Place six years ago and was an active part of the community there.

She passed away peacefully at Sunrise Senior Living in Oakton on Thursday, June 5,

after a short hospitalization.

She is survived by her children, Diana Urban Eichler of Reston and David Urban of Falls Church; Grandchildren, Jeremy Eichler, Meg Eichler, Katie Eichler Jones, Louis Sears, John Sears, Stephanie Urban Desai, Elizabeth Urban, Peter Morrisey and Adam Morrisey; Great-grandchildren, Sophia Jones and William Jones, of Reston.

A memorial mass will be held at St. John Neumann in Reston on Tuesday, June 10 at 10 a.m. Funeral services will be postponed and held in Kent, Ohio, where she will be interred at a date to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made to the Dana Farber Institute in her name.

— Submitted by Katie Jones

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