Here is an obituary for Gwen Farrell:
Gwen Farrell, MAS*H Actress and Trailblazing Boxing Referee, Dies at 93
Gwen Farrell, the actress who brought warmth and quiet steadiness to her recurring role on the beloved television series MAS*H and who later broke barriers as one of the first women to referee professional boxing, died Thursday in Sherman Oaks, California. She was 93. Her son, Keith Farrell, confirmed the cause was natural causes.
Born Gwendolyn Yancey on November 29, 1932, in Austin, Texas, Farrell was the daughter of Lovie Yancey, who would go on to found the Fatburger restaurant chain. She carried that same entrepreneurial independence throughout her own remarkable life.
Farrell made her screen debut in 1972 and went on to appear in 26 episodes of MAS*H across its celebrated 11-season run, portraying a series of nurses — Nurse Butler, Nurse Wilson, Nurse Able, and Nurse Gwen among them — right through to the show’s iconic finale in 1983. Her additional screen credits included Soylent Green, Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, Starsky and Hutch, and Billy Jack Goes to Washington.
But it was her second career that may have defined her most boldly. In 1979, Farrell became one of the first women licensed as a boxing referee in California, stepping into a world where women were rarely seen, let alone respected. She earned that respect anyway. On June 5, 1988, she made history as the first woman to officiate a world title fight, a junior-middleweight bout in Tijuana, Mexico. In 2005, she was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
“With confidence, fairness, and unwavering composure, she earned the respect of fighters, trainers, and fans alike,” her family wrote. “She didn’t just do the job — she broke barriers and proved that strength comes in many forms.”
To those closest to her, she was simply a grandmother, a guiding light, and a steady source of love.
She is survived by her husband, Frank Adair, and her son, Keith Farrell.