John Harrington

1940 - 2019

John Joseph Harrington

John Joseph Harrington, of San Rafael, CA, passed away on November 18, 2019.
Joe was born in Butte, MT on January 6, 1940. He lived there until age seven, at which time his family moved to San Francisco.

Joe attended St. Joseph's Seminary from ages 14 - 20. He opted out of the monastic life and enrolled in Golden Gate University where he obtained a degree in accounting. Joe met and married Anne Lanthier in 1963 and started a family with twin daughters, Joanne and Christine, followed by "Irish Triplet" Tom and Maureen. In addition to raising their four young children, he and Anne cared for his two younger siblings, Tom and Ed. Throughout the years, Joe and Anne's home became the hub for all family events including countless birthdays, Thanksgivings, Christmas Eves and even a wedding or two along the way.

Joe had a highly successful career commencing when he became a partner in an accounting firm at age 24. He later went on to form other firms including Harrington Group, a group specializing in services for non-profits, which is where his expertise and passion lied. He was a road warrior—his firm had offices in L.A. and S.F. Flight Attendants on PSA and later Southwest knew him by name as he commuted back & forth.

Joe was an enthusiastic and accomplished sportsman. He attended Giants games at Seals Stadium and played semi-pro baseball (catcher). He later became an avid tennis player and spent decades at the Rafael Racquet Club. Not only did he spend time on the courts, he also spent time on the board and later became board president. Joe loved to hike and always shouldered the heaviest pack, leading the way on City jaunts or through Marin. His day-after Thanksgiving hikes were legendary.

After Anne passed away in 2004, Joe met and married Diane Pelosi and the family grew to include Diane's children Michael Saign and Dana (Saign) Isetta. He and Diane shared a love of travel and adventure, which they were able to enjoy to the fullest after Joe's retirement 10 years ago.

Joe leaves behind his four children (and their spouses Karyn, Kevin & Stu) and grandchildren Austin, Vanessa, Josh, Ross and Jack along with great-grandson Harlen. He is also survived by his siblings Mary Therese, Eileen, Tom & Ed.

There will be a service honoring Joe's life held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 23, at Most Holy Rosary Chapel, 1 St. Vincent's Drive, San Rafael. Friends wishing to make a donation in Joe's memory should contribute to the charity of their choice.