Deirdre Anne Poole

Deirdre Anne Poole (Farnan) died Wednesday June 24, 2026, after surviving many hospitalizations, and even one round of hospice. She showed tremendous strength throughout much of her life and had her fighting spirit until the end. She was born July 23, 1942, in Horsham, England during World War II. Her father, Patrick Farnan, was Irish, and her mother Joan Carter Farnan, was English.

Deirdre went to Isleworth College, a polytechnic college, where she qualified to be a nurse’s assistant. When she completed college, she moved to her beloved Trim in Ireland for several years to live with her family and continue her nursing education. She returned to England at the behest of her father, so she could use her nursing talents more productively. She met her future husband, Andrew Edward Poole, in the Hounslow Clinic where she was his assistant in dental treatment. After working together for 6 months, and after she broke off an engagement with another man, they were engaged to be married. In August 1962, Andrew left England to attend school at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York in the United States to continue his education. Deirdre followed 4 months later and they were married.

They lived in Rochester for 8 years before they moved to Connecticut, in 1970, when Andrew took a position as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Dentistry at the UCONN Health Center in Farmington. Deirdre, a semi professional tennis player throughout her teens, took a position as Manager and Professional Instructor at Farmington Farms Racquet Club. It was there that her competitive and aggressive spirit really showed.

In 1980, Andrew and Deirdre co-founded the Craniofacial Disorders Team, treating and managing children born with anomalies of the head and neck. Deirdre was the Nurse Coordinator, helping families navigate the birth of babies who needed special care and surgery. Shewri organized the multi-disciplinary team, ran clinics, held support groups, and lectured around the world. She was always on call, so if a baby was born with a cleft lip and/or palate she was there to teach the family a special technique for feeding. Without this, many babies would have failure to thrive. Her hard work and dedication to this team, the families, the patients, and her ongoing commitment to furthering the understanding of craniofacial anomalies was like no other. She was a fierce advocate, who did not back down when help was needed. The team moved to the new Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) in Hartford in 1997. She retired from CCMC in 2002.

After living in CT for 32 years she moved to Wellfleet, MA on Cape Cod, where she and Andrew had spent many holidays. She immediately became part of the community there, becoming a member of the recreation committee, working on events for the children in town, including her family’s favorite, the Easter Egg Hunt. During this time, she was able to combine her love for working with children and holiday celebrations. She was also an active member of the Red Hats, serving as Queen Mother at one point. She enjoyed time with friends, volunteering for the town, spending time with her grandchildren, and tending to her garden.

In 2015, she and Andrew returned to Connecticut, to live at Duncaster, a retirement community in Bloomfield. At that time, even though Deirdre struggled with her health, she made friends and quickly became a well-known presence there. She was known for her quick wit and reckless driving of her Mobi. She was reprimanded several times for speeding through the hallways after she almost ran over several of the residents. When she was younger she enjoyed riding her motorbike, so when she got that Mobi to help her get around, she wanted to go fast-and she did. Nothing and no one could get her to follow rules she deemed unimportant. She often said to her children, “be good, and if you can’t be good, be careful” and sometimes adding “don’t get caught”.

She is survived by her husband Andrew, her 3 children, Nichola Ruth Dustin, Timothy Sean Poole (wife-Michelle), Amelia Anne Miner (husband-Eric) and adopted son Robert Joseph Ignatowicz (wife-Gail). She had 10 grandchildren, Jacob (wife-Ashley), Hannah, Rebecca-(Nichola); Jordan and Gavin-(Timothy); Liam, Ada, Ashton-(Amelia); Haley and Ryan-(Robert) as well as 1 great grand-daughter Emmaline-(Jacob). She also had numerous children she took under her wings to care for and guide. As an only child, she loved the organized chaos and energy of the Poole family, which included the Phillips, O’Kelly, and Guilmette families.

Some sentiments and words friends and family use to describe Deirdre are: Unique, Fierce, Fighter, Organizer, English when she wants to be proper, Irish when she has been drinking, Tea maker, Matriarch, Did not suffer fools, Giver of little finger (for those who don't deserve the best). Caregiver, Hot tempered, Beautiful, Spirited, “D”, Stealer of restaurant ash trays, Gardener, Pain in the ass, Speeder, Rule breaker, Grandmother, Drinker of gin and lime, Mummy, Persistent, Prolific user of swears, Lover of animals, Determined, Willing to go to any lengths to accomplish what she wanted or to help someone in need. She was truly one of a kind. She will be missed but it was her time to climb the wooden hill to Bedfordshire.

Suaimhneas síoraí (Gaelic meaning eternal rest to her soul)

An afternoon tea will be held in memory of Deirdre/Mummy/Grandmother at Duncaster, 30 Loeffler Road in Bloomfield, CT on August 21, 2026 at 1:00pm. All are welcome to attend, please wear your best hat or fascinator.