Father and Daughter: Colleagues at Cook Children's

Ashley and Jimmy Felan

By Kaley Johnson

When Cook Children’s Pharmacy Assistant Ashley Felan has a hard day at work, she turns to her dad. She doesn’t have to go far; the two simply meet in the middle between their two offices on the Cook Children’s Fort Worth campus.

The father and daughter duo have both worked at Cook Children’s for several years. Ashley, 28, first joined the Cook Children’s team as a junior volunteer and fell in love with the place and its people. She started at Cook Children’s five years ago. The next year, Jimmy Felan got a job in the Cook Children’s Real Estate-Facilities Management Department. In doing so, he became his wife’s coworker as well as his daughter’s; Yvonne Felan, an Account Specialist, has worked in the Physician’s Network for 25 years.

Having the entire family in the same workplace is a blessing, Ashley said.

“Every so often I’ll have meetings or something at the Rosedale Office Building (ROB),” Ashley said. “And every time I walk in, people will say, ‘Oh it’s Jimmy’s daughter, Jimmy’s daughter is here!’ I love that, it’s really cute.”

She and her dad, a Building Maintenance Tech, meet for lunch at the Medical Center-Fort Worth about every other week. The quality time means a lot to both of them, especially because Ashley -- who is an only child -- moved out recently and got married in May.

Ashley described her dad as selfless, nurturing, and someone who will drop whatever he’s doing to fix a problem. He has been her role model, she says, and taught her what qualities to look for in her own partnerships.

“Everyone there at the ROB always tells me how much they love him or appreciate him. He is definitely well-loved over there,” she said.

Jimmy described his daughter as energetic and fun to be around. He said they have a close relationship, and she takes after him as a thrill seeker and someone “who won’t back down for anything.”

“I love my daughter very much,” he said. “She’s got me wrapped around her finger.”

Jimmy said Ashley loves dogs, traveling, and the Texas Rangers. Ashley said it was her father who instilled in her that love for Texas baseball; the two often go to baseball games together. They also love to fish, and Ashley said fishing with her dad as a child are some of her core memories.

For Father’s Day, Ashley said they’ll probably do something low-key at Jimmy’s request, like see a baseball game or go to the movies. The activity doesn’t matter. Like the work lunches and quick visits they share, for the Felan family, simply being with another one is what matters most.