Grace E. Harrington

In 1919, Grace was born in Sacramento and died there on June 8th, after a brief illness, at the young age of 96. She was proud to be a life-long Sacramentan, attending Grant Union High School, Sacramento Junior College and Heald’s Business School. She retired as a State employee after 32 years, most years working as an Executive Secretary for the California Youth Authority.

She had a very interesting life: As a child, she performed at the Memorial Auditorium. During WWII, on the top of the Elks Building on J Street, she volunteered as a plane spotter, watching for enemy planes. In 1947, she read an ad in the Post Office advertising employment in Japan through the Federal Government. Because she wanted to travel, she applied, and after being accepted, traveled to Japan. From 1947 – 1950, she was the secretary to the commanding officer of the Far East Air Material Command near Tokyo. It was there she met and married her husband Augustus (Gus) Bennett Harrington in April of 1949, at the Yokota Base Chapel in Honshu, Japan. They were married for 36 years, until his passing in 1984.

She never hesitated to contact her City Councilperson, her Assembly Member and even Regional Transit if she had a complaint. During the airing of the KVIE program on Sacramentans who were involved in the WWII War Effort, she called the station to let them know they had reported a few incorrect facts and commented that they should have interviewed her. She was a lifelong liberal Democrat and a former member of the Democratic Women’s Club. She was proud to have voted in the June 7th election.

She had many good friends from childhood and from her days working in Sacramento. She loved to read and travel, talking of the adventure of finding her mother’s house in Bangor, Ireland, of being pick-pocketed during a trip to Italy, and of taking her grandchildren to Japan to visit places she remembered during her time there. In later years, she was slowed by macular degeneration, but even with her vision challenges, she was a great observer of people and her surroundings. She was also very organized and disdained clutter. This led to her being the proverbial mother who threw away her young son’s prized baseball cards and Lionel train set.

She is survived by her son, three grandchildren and three and seven-ninths great grandchildren, to whom she was known as GGG.

At her request, there will be no funeral nor burial services. She lived a very full life and wanted it to be commemorated by having a celebration of life for her family and friends. This will be held on Friday, July 1st from 9:30 – 11:30 am at the Nicoletti, Culjis & Herberger Funeral Home, 5401 Folsom Blvd.

The family would like to thank Fiji Angel Care for helping her live at home until the age of 95, Mercy McMahon Terrace for their care over the last year and the medical staff at Mercy Hospital for assisting during her last days.

Arrangements under the direction of Nicoletti, Culjis & Herberger Funeral Home, Sacramento, CA.