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David Harrington Obituary
Nov. 25, 1946 -
Mar. 17, 2006
David Harrington, Vice President Information Systems and Chief Technological Officer of MedicAlert Foundation, died suddenly at Stanford Hospital on St. Patrick's Day in the circle of love created by family and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, John Harrington, and his older brother, Jack Harrington. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Niamh Harrington, and his son, Ruairi Harrington, 18, of Modesto; as well as his mother, Maudie Harrington, and his younger sister, Nancy Harrington, husband John MacLennan, of Kansas City, and nephew Chase MacLennan, 34, of San Francisco. When Jack died in 2001, David enveloped his sister-in-law, Patty Burrell, his niece, Nadia Harrington, 33, and nephew, Michael Harrington Burrell, 12, into his family as his own, standing in for Jack in Nadia's 2002 wedding to Beto Carlos.
David was born on November 25, 1946 in Kansas City, Missouri. Because his Dad was an airline pilot for TWA, the family moved to New York and then New Jersey before returning to Kansas City area in 1958. David attended the University of Kansas, earning a B.S. in Mathematics and continuing studies toward a Master's in Journalism. By 1973, he was in California and ready to launch himself into the world of computer technology, software and product development, engineering and technical marketing.
The journey to MedicAlert took David to such companies as Motorola, Inc; Unify Corporation; Versata Inc; PriceWaterhouseCooper LLP; PhysicanAccess.com; Celtic Consulting; and included a 4-year expatriate posting in Cork, Ireland in the early eighties. Much of his career was also spent working with standards organizations. He found his true passion in his work at MedicAlert, responsible for making them the industry leader in the development of the personal electronic healthcare record. He loved his work with the executive team and his own IT team, and was regarded by his colleagues with respect and affection.
David will be deeply missed by his wife of 25 years, Niamh, originally from Cork, Ireland. His son Ruairi was the light of his life. He was a man of many levels; at times focused and intent; other times goofy and irreverent. During his college years, he fought for social justice and peace. A pilot himself, he loved all things related to aviation. He loved music, creating a soundtrack to his life that ranged from Springsteen to The Chieftains. He was an avid baseball fan, and loved nothing more than to watch Ruairi pitch.
David was a natural leader, driven by a pure heart and a razor-sharp mind. He had a strong moral compass that always pointed to True North. His family and friends will never be able to fill the void this loss creates, but we will carry on in the spirit of David's love and honor his memory by striving to always follow our own hearts.
Remembrances may be made to MedicAlert Foundation in memory of David Harrington.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for David Harrington
Nancy Harrington
April 8, 2006
I would like to thank all of you who have contributed to David's guest book, and all of you who continue to read it. As David's little sister, I always suspected, but never knew the magnitude of his influence in the world. Reading your entries has made the healing process a bit easier for me and for our mother. In March 2001, we lost our other brother Jack in a car accident, and now that David is gone, we cling to these memories even more. David spoke so highly and enthusiastically of his association with all of you.
Your kind words and gestures are greatly appreciated.
Manoj Kumar
March 28, 2006
We have lost a precious friend and colleague. With all the accomplishments and accolades what we remember best is David Glenn Harrington himself; a man of eternal cheerfulness and enormous heart.
I can never forget his deep and enduring support to the OMG Healthcare Domain Taskforce. My deepest and profound condolences to the family.
Bob Green
March 28, 2006
All our prayers and hopes are with you and your family. While I never met you in person, your efforts within this circle of professionals has not gone un-noticed. May God bless.
Ann Wrightson
March 28, 2006
I too have only known David recently through the HL7/OMG HSSP work. He impressed me as a man of knowledge and compassion, and I am sorry not to have known him better.
Dale Chamberlain
March 27, 2006
Although I have known David only a short time, he made quite an impression on me the first time we met. That was almost 2 years ago in St. Louis during the OMG Healthcare Day. His contribution then was huge, and he had been a significant contributer and leader in the healthcare standards arena.
David will be sadly missed by all of us who knew him.
Alan Honey
March 27, 2006
I only knew David fairly recently through work in the OMG and HL7, but I would just like to add my regrets at his passing. His presence will be sorely missed.
David Forslund
March 27, 2006
I had the pleasure of working with David Harrington at the OMG on the Healthcare Domain Taskforce. I enjoyed his humor and his insights into this important work. I was impressed by his interest and ability to take on this fairly difficult task. We will all miss his energy, enthusiasm, and hard work.
Janet Martino
March 27, 2006
I still can’t get my head around the fact that David is no longer with us. I had a long talk with him the weekend before he was hospitalized. I was congratulating him on the work he has accomplished since I was consulting with him for MedicAlert last year. With his solid vision for MedicAlert, his involvement with standards organizations, and his understanding of the healthcare domain through marriage, he will be a hard person to replace.
I will miss the late night email conversations, prompting Niamh to say “It’s a good thing I met her” as his blackberry chimed before he went to bed. I will miss his sense of humor, his jokes and his good heart.
My heart goes out to Niamh, Ruairi and all those who loved him. He has left us way too soon.
Nicole Rikkinen
March 27, 2006
I worked with David at Object Management Group. We're all fortunate to have known and learned from David. His spirit and humor were contagious -- his drive inspired me to give 110% when working by his side.
David, you are missed not only by a community, but by friends.
Ken Rubin
March 26, 2006
The entirety of the Standards Healthcare community has suffered a significant loss with the passing of David. David was personally committed, energetic, passionate, and tireless in his efforts to help make people's lives better through healthcare technology.
David was a good friend, a warm smile, and a welcoming audience to anyone who ever needed his consult or sought his advice.
No words can caputure the feelings I or I'm sure this community feels to hear this sad news. David will be sorely missed and forever remembered.
Richard Soley
March 24, 2006
David had been a personal friend of mine for 17 years, and I know many, many of you us in the worldwide OMG standards community will miss him personally as I do, for everyone who knew him immediately formed a bond. He was one of those rare people who was both intelligent and lively, hard-working and fun-loving, easy-going but focused. He made a difference in his life, and was a positive force through his acquaintances, friendships and work relationships. He always saw another side to the argument, a third way to solve a problem, and was always ready to listen to another idea.
For many of us, he was a former OMG Board member, co-chairman of OMG's successful collaboration project with HL7, a member of HITSP -- a man who always gave back to the community. But he was also a lively defender of everything Irish, a man who couldn't say a negative word about the (Irish!) wife he loved dearly, and a man who delighted in technology, in ideas and in people.
I will miss him; we will miss him.
Perry Clarke
March 23, 2006
David was a mentor and friend for many years. He gave me my first job in the "real world" after university and he brought me to the US when he was at Unify. He set an example of how to manage people which I draw on to this day. It's so typical of his easy going approach that I had to stop and think to realize how much he influenced my life. I will miss his insight and sometimes ribald humor.
Bob Batchelder
March 23, 2006
I worked with David in Sacramento at Unify. We took a trip one year to Whistler Canada; four guys, a ski mountain, and a ski resort. We had a lot of fun up there. Each night over beer as we talked about the day David would talk about Niamh. He was a devoted husband and father. I always admired him.
I will miss his occassional emails to keep in touch and the humor that always accompanied them.
Bob Lebo
March 23, 2006
I am the brother of Pamela Ingram-Harrington and I met David (former Brother-in-law) in the "wild" 60's. He was very outspoken on student rights (weren't we all then??) and I really enjoyed his great attitude and humorous observations about life. I am glad he enjoyed a wonderful life with a nice family.
Tony Bowden
March 23, 2006
David was initially a colleague of mine whilst working for Unify. I ran the UK office and by dint of the fact that we had so many problems with our software, got to know David extremely well! During David's visits to Ireland, David introduced Ruairi and with our friends the Ashworth's, we all played soccer and baseball in the park. I will personally miss David hugely. I can hardly believe he has left us, as it is only weeks, since I had a long talk with him about identity management for healthcare - from the London Bus I was travelling in. My heart goes out to Niamh and Ruairi and David's mother and the rest of the Harrington family. David was a great friend and colleague, but most of all he was a great family man. All of us who were fortunate to know David will miss his wicked sense of fun and humour as well as his visionary leadership. May he rest in peace.
Bud Little
March 23, 2006
I've known David for the past 15 years. We first met at Unify and later, while working for Ross Systems, shared a corporate apartment in Redwood Shores for two years while we were each commuting from our respective homes in Modesto and Roseville. We watched many an hour of David Letterman together. In those days, Niamh referred to me as David's "insignificant other." In the years I've known David, he was anything BUT insignificant. David always made his mark in whatever endeavor he pursued. The world won't be the same without him.
Marvin Fenner
March 23, 2006
I worked with David for several years at Unify Corp., and briefly at Versata. He was a sharp, witty, energetic guy who made working in this industry interesting and fun. As an executive, he had the rare talent of caring for both his people and the bottom line; He always "walked the talk". Even though I hadn't talked to David since our Versata days, I enjoyed our email exchanges and his many sardonic (and accurate) posts to our favorite message board. I'll miss his wit and enthusiasm.
Carolyn Harrington
March 22, 2006
I have known David for some 40 years and was related to him by marriage for several of those years. We went through the 70's together and that pretty much speaks for itself. We were wild and crazy and had a great time. When my co-parent, his brother Jack,died in 2001, David did so admirably step into the role of our daugher Nadia's surrogate father. I know how dearly he loved Niamh and Ruairi and how much he will be missed. But now he will
join his beloved father and brother in the "cosmic consciousness" (David was always a fan of Kurt Vonnegut)>
Natalie Doan
March 22, 2006
David was a great boss to have even though I never directly reported to him. He was a very hardworking guy who always pushed us to go further despite some setbacks that our IT department has encountered. I will always miss David's dedication and inspiration.
Manohar Damle
March 22, 2006
Being in the IT team, I could see David Harrington almost every day since I joined MedicAlert. He will certainly be missed for his work and leadership. May God bless his soul.
Mark Weinstein
March 22, 2006
I had gotten to know David over the past two years through a business relationship. I always enjoyed his company and know that he will be missed by many people
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