Robert Farrell was born in 1921 outside of Chicago. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, he was hitchhiking home from school. Before the war, he worked for a roofing company and attended college. During World War 2, he served as an anti-aircraft gunner in Britain and Germany for two years, playing football and softball. After the war, he stayed in Britain for a year before returning home, where he married Peggy. Looking back, he said the war was a formative experience but that he wouldn't want to do it again.