Obituary of Phyllis Claire Harrington

Phyllis Claire (Hapenney) Harrington, a woman devoted to her family and her faith, passed away at the Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, the beloved wife of the late Edward J. Harrington, she was 87 years old. Phyllis was born in Brighton. She was one of five children born to the late Thomas and Irene (Hapenney). Phyllis was raised and educated in Waltham. She met her husband Edward and they married on October 12, 1952. They moved to Burlington in 1955 where they would live for 30 years and raise their five children. During their retirement years Phyllis and Ed lived in Harwich. They loved living down the Cape enjoying long walks on the beach and having their children and grandchildren visit during the summers for vacations. They moved to Windham New Hampshire in 2008 to be closer to their children. Phyllis was a woman of deep Catholic faith. During her years in Burlington she was a parishioner at St. Malachi’s and while living in Harwich she attended daily Mass at Holy Trinity Church. Phyllis had a love of music that she got from her dad who was a Vaudeville entertainer. While living in Burlington she was in the local Minstrel Shows. In later years she would participate in musicals while living in Harwich at the Harwich High School which raised money to support local causes including their Senior Center . Phyllis and Edward had a wonderful life together. They enjoyed taking cruises, trips to Canada and for many years they spent their winters in Florida. She was a wonderful and supportive mother to her five children and had a very close and special relationship with all of them. Her warm smile and joyful personality was infectious and she was always fun to be around. Phyllis was close to both her sisters and could always be found on the “telephone” catching up with the latest news with them. Phyllis was blessed to have 13 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren and was awaiting the birth of her 11th great grandchild this year. Phyllis was the beloved wife of the late Edward J. Harrington. She was the loving mother of Janice Doyle & her husband Dick of Johnsburg, IL, Michael & his wife Linda of Beverly, Patricia Reynolds & her husband Neal of Windham, NH, Joseph & his wife Mary Beth of Burlington and Jeffrey & his companion Judi Farraher of Yarmouth Port. Sister of Jean Roche of Natick, James Hapenney of Burlington and the late Barbara Mahoney and Thomas Hapenney. Also survived by 13 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. A visiting hour will be held at the Edward V Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128/95 Woburn side) on Wednesday, April 12 from 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Interment will follow in Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers memorials in Phyllis’s name may be made to the American Lung Association, 1661 Worcester Road, Suite 301, Framingham, MA 01701 or the Charity of your choice. Family Remembrance by Michael Harrington Mom’s Eulogy On behalf on my 2 sisters, Jan and Trish, and my 2 brothers, Joe and Jeff, we’d like to thank you for joining us here today, to celebrate the life of our mom, Phyllis. Being here at St. Margaret’s brings back lots of great memories. My parents moved to Burlington in 1955, and they lived here in town for 30 years. St. Margaret’s was our family’s first parish, and my mom and dad were devout Catholics, who took much comfort in their faith. When they retired to Cape Cod in the mid 1980’s, they used to attend Mass every day. My mom’s faith was especially comforting to her in her final days. It’s nice to be back here at St. Margaret’s where it all started for our family, celebrating my mom’s life, particularly during Holy Week. . My mom and dad were typical of their generation. Tom Brokaw called the World War II generation, “The Greatest Generation”, and I doubt that many of us would disagree. My parents were both children of the Great Depression. My dad, like many of his era, was a WWII Veteran, who came home, got married, purchased a home with the help if the GI Bill, and started working hard and raising a family. Like most people of that era, my parents went through life appreciating simple things…..family, faith, patriotism. . Mom was the 2nd oldest of 5 children, and she grew up in Waltham. She had 2 sisters, Barbara and Jean, and 2 brothers, Tom and Jim. She was very close to her family, but in particular her 2 sisters. The 3 sisters shared much love, laughter, and memories over the years. Barbara passed away a few years ago, after a long brave battle with ALS. My mom and Jean both became widowed within a year of each other about 8-9 years ago, and since that time have been frequent companions, and the two of them enjoyed many adventures together. . All 3 sisters teamed up with a group of childhood Waltham lady friends, and they referred to group as “Club”. “Club” would meet regularly at the various homes of the members…along with group vacations, parties, and social events. “Club” remained intact for many years, and these ladies were my Mom’s oldest, dearest, & most treasured friends. . When our family thinks of my mom….a few things come to mind….. . My mom was an upbeat person, and always wore a smile. She had many friends, and she made friends easily. She also loved to sing. Her father, Teek, was a vaudeville entertainer in his early years, and my mom inherited lots of those entertainer genes. While living here in Burlington, she often appeared in local musicals and minstrel shows. After moving to Cape Cod, she continued to appear in local musical productions. At family gatherings, teaming up with her sister Jean, it was not unusual for the 2 of them to break into a sudden duet, and start singing the song, “Sisters, Sisters”. . My mom was vibrant and colorful. She loved wearing bright and lively colors. You often saw her dressed in bright pastels, like purple or pink. I’m channeling my inner Phyllis today….wearing a purple tie in her honor. She loved long, dangly earrings, and she seemed to have a pair for every occasion. . My mom was a great communicator. She was easy to talk to, and listened without judgement. For a lady with very little formal education, she was smart & possessed great insight and wisdom. It was difficult to have a short conversation with her, because she loved people, and she loved to talk. But she was also a keen listener, and offered sage advice and counsel. My mom also wrote the nicest notes!! We always knew we’d get a note from mom….whether it be for a birthday, a special life event, a sad event, a celebration, or a “thank you” note after a holiday or receiving a gift. My mom was so easy and fun to buy gifts for….because she appreciated them so much….and always more for the thought involved, than for the item itself. . Mom loved people, but especially her kids, her grandchildren, and in recent years, her great grandchildren. They were her pride and joy, and luckily for all of us, she was very active in all of our lives. All of us in our family were blessed to have her has a healthy & vibrant part of our lives for as long as we did. . My mom has been on her own since my dad passed away in 2008. She’s done a great job of living alone, and managing all of her daily affairs. She’s had many happy times during these recent years, but we all knew that beneath that ever-present smile, there was sadness, as she missed the love and companionship of my dad, Ed. As much as we’ll miss her, we’re grateful that she’s been reunited with Ed. . In recent days, you may have looked at the sky and seen the beautiful April full moon. Native Americans called this April full moon, the “Pink Moon”, not because it was pink, but because pink Spring flowers were starting the bloom, as that full moon appeared each year. A “Pink Moon” symbolizes new beginnings, and this is a beautiful new, eternal beginning for my mom. . I’d like to end with a short poem that I came across, that made me think of my mom and today’s occasion. It’s titled, “He Only Takes the Best”