Francis Xavier Farrington Jr.

Francis X. Farrington, Jr., known to all as "Tim," died in his sleep early on May 7, 2018. He was 83. Tim was born to Francis X. and Anna McCue Farrington in White Plains, New York. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1951 and, although he took a break to earn his bachelor's degree at The Catholic University of America, he returned to the Corps and served honorably for more than 26 years. Tim was a veteran of both Korea and Vietnam, serving as the fire support coordinator, in charge of artillery and air strikes, for much the siege of Khe Sanh in 1968. Wounded during the siege, he was medevac'd but returned to duty and earned the Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart. He had a rare talent for not talking about combat while telling hilarious stories about things that happened in combat.

Tim was a long-distance runner from his college years and competed in the first Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, Virginia, as well as several of the earliest runnings of the Honolulu Marathon. Tim retired in 1978 and earned a master's in guidance at the University of Hawai'i. He was a track and cross-country coach both before and after he retired. He lived in Taiwan for many years, moving there in 1979 to serve at the American Institute in Taiwan. Tim was later an instructor at the Republic of China's National Defense Language School and a coach of their national track and field team, accompanying the ROC Olympic Team to the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. Tim retired for the second time to Pensacola, Florida. He continued to run road races into his 70's.

Tim was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Beverly Johnson Farrington; grandson Ian Curle; and great-grandson Jackson Curle. He is survived by his wife, Carol; his sister, Sister Mary Ann Farrington; sons Timothy, Patrick, and Zeph; daughters Kathleen Curle and Deirdre Farrington; five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. The burial will be at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 14, at Barrancas National Cemetery.