John Joseph Harrington Jr., age 67, of Beverly Hills, Florida passed away on Friday, June 2, John J. Harrington Jr. of Beverly Hills, Florida, left his comfortable position as retiree-groundskeeper-sports commentator on June 2 to assume new responsibilities as guardian angel to his granddaughter Charlotte “Charlie” Mathison. Capping a lengthy and varied career of more than forty years that included nuclear safety, logistics, and hospital management, first in Oswego, New York, and later in Louisiana and Mississippi, his true favorite vocations were father, grandfather and husband.
The only child of the late John J. Harrington Sr. and Jeanne LeBlanc Harrington of Oswego, he was a 1974 graduate of Oswego High School and a 1978 graduate of State University of New York at Fredonia, where he met Kathleen Alice Clingan, to whom he was married in July 1979. Kathy took her first teaching position in Slidell, Louisiana, soon after, where they resided for over 35 years, and where their daughter Heather was born.
Retiring in 2016, John and Kathy purchased a home in Beverly Hills, and took on a variety of volunteer responsibilities – most notably the role of proud grandparents with Charlotte’s birth in 2020. Despite a reputation as one of the friendliest people you’d ever meet, John could often be found paying a round of golf all by himself so early in the morning that it was a wonder he could see the ball. He truly enjoyed barbecuing by the pool for his friends and family and cheering on his favorite football team, the Buffalo Bills.
John is survived by his loving wife Kathy; his daughter Heather Mathison (Clint) of Covington LA and granddaughter Charlotte, along with many friends.
Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 10th at Shepherd of The Hills in Lecanto, Florida. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made online to First Tee at: https://firsttee.org/donate.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ferofuneralhome.com for the Harrington family.
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