James Humphrey Harrington Sr.

James Humphrey Harrington
James Humphrey Harrington passed away peacefully on June 12, 2023 in Manahawkin, NJ. He was born in Elizabeth and raised in Mountainside until he and his new bride, Sally, moved to Cranford in 1955, where he resided until his passing.
He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Sarah Jane (nee McCoy), known as Sally. They met as toddlers and were married April 30, 1955.
Jim is also survived by his six children, Mary Keough; James Jr (Denise); John (Nicole); Paul (Paula); Sarah (Tim) Grunhard; and Peter (Elena). He was predeceased by his son-in-law Michael Keough.
Jim was grandfather to Emily (Bill) and Grace; Kathleen (Taylor), Dennis and Reilly; Josh (Olivia), Alex and Zach; Quinn, Keira and Kaelan; CJ, Cailey, Colin and Cassie; Cindy, Ellen, James and Magdalena. He was also predeceased by a grandson, Patrick H Harrington.
Colin, Sean, Mary-Grace and Eliana were blessed to have Jim as their great-grandfather.
Also surviving are siblings John; J. Timothy (Maureen); Mary (John) Post; and Margaret (Jay) MacNeill. Jim was predeceased by a brother, Paul, Jr. and a sister-in-law, Carol. Jim was the beloved uncle to several dozen nieces and nephews.
He was a member of the St Benedict's Prep Class of 1950 and received a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1954, where he graduated as the top engineering student. While at Notre Dame, he received All-American Honors in the Pole Vault, and the Kanaley Award given to the most exemplary Notre Dame Monogram student-athlete. Upon graduation, he embarked on a 35-year career with Exxon Corporation where he held a variety of positions.
His participation in the community was established at an early age when he was the first member of Troop 73 at Holy Trinity Parish to earn Eagle Scout status. He was a life-long blood donor who always encouraged others donate.
His retirement from the corporate world allowed him to expand his involvement in civic organizations for more than 20 years. Jim's volunteer work included assisting the Cerebral Palsy League of Union County and the United Way of Greater Union County. As a social justice advocate, helping those in need was particularly important to him. As a result, he was especially involved in organizations in Elizabeth, spending countless hours volunteering with the Elizabeth Public School No. 1 School Management Team; serving on the Family and Children's Services Board; he was also active with the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless. Jim served in several positions with the St Joseph Social Service Center, including Board member; Planning Committee Chairperson; and as the coordinator of a summer service intern program in conjunction with the local ND Alumni Club.
He was a long time parishioner at St Michael's Church in Cranford and, with Sally, was a Pre-cana leader for many years. He and Sally could often be seen serving as lectors together at Mass as well.
Most importantly, and as Jim would want, he will be remembered as a wonderful example of a loving father, a doting grandfather and great-grandfather, loyal brother, but most of all, as a devoted and adoring husband.
Visitation will be at Dooley Funeral Home in Westfield on Monday, June 19 from 4-7pm. A funeral Mass will be held at St Michael's Church in Cranford on Tuesday, June 20 at 10:30am.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Jim's memory to the St Joseph Social Service Center, 118 Division Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07201 (www.sjeliz.org).