Warren E. Tirrell, Jr.

West Brookfield - Warren E. Tirrell, Jr., 77, of Wickaboag Valley Rd., died peacefully in his home on Friday, November 1, 2019.

Warren leaves his wife and partner of 31 years, Jill Tirrell; two daughters, Tammy Dion and her husband, Steve, and Lynn Tirrell and her boyfriend, Mike; his sister, Barbara Parker; his stepson, Aaron Lariviere, and his wife, Katherine; eight grandchildren, Nathan, Matthew, Tiffany, Adam, Korey, Dustin, Alice, and Diana; and four great-grandchildren, Bryson, Liam, Quincy, and Kylee Rose. Born in Ware, MA, on November 19, 1941, to Mildred and Warren Tirrell, Sr., Warren lived most of his life in Warren, MA, and was famously known as “Warren from Warren.” He led a rich life, full of adventure, endless curiosity, laughter and love.

It would be impossible to describe everything about Warren that made him unique, but for starters: he loved to play the bagpipes at birthdays, funerals, and anywhere he could get away with it.  He was well known in the community for his annual performances as Father Christmas. He could do most anything he set his mind to, whether forging knives or cast-iron tools, creating intricate wood-carvings or leatherwork, or tinkering with strange machines. An avid yard-saler and master bargain hunter, Warren amassed an impressive collection of hats, musical instruments, and turtle figurines. His initials — “W.E.T.” — were known to bring rain wherever he went. On special occasions, usually late at night, he would fire a cannon in his backyard — loud enough to wake the dead.

Over the years Warren held a wide range of jobs, most recently working as an audio-visual technician at Harrington Hospital, and also as an intermediate paramedic, a telephone lineman, a professional diver, a hypnotherapist and much more. He was a United States Army veteran during the Vietnam War-era, enlisting at the age of 17 and serving in Korea. As Father Christmas, he was featured in Hearthstone Press’s retelling of The Night Before Christmas, published in 2013, and he appeared on stage in the 2011 theatrical production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Academy of Music Theatre. He was a Past Master and long-time member of the Quaboag Masonic Lodge, an honorary member of the West Brookfield Fire Department, an active participant in the sacred fire community, and a student of Bolad’s Kitchen, where he studied under Martín Prechtel. Warren was larger than life, a friend to everyone he met, and he will be deeply missed.

A Funeral Service for Warren will be held on Monday, November 11, 2019, at 11AM in the Varnum Funeral Home, Inc., 43 East Main St., West Brookfield. A calling hour will be held from 10 to 11AM prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, Warren would ask you to develop your gifts and share them unexpectedly to help this world in need. It was his belief that our children need you desperately to “be the change you wish to see in the world.”

An online guest book is available at varnumfuneralhome.com.

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