Our beloved mother, Joyce Marie Harrington, 95, passed away peacefully on August 31, 2023.
Joyce was born in Harvey, North Dakota on August 27, 1928 to Carl and Helen Laughlin. She grew up and attended grade school in Hurdsfield, North Dakota. She attended Aquinas High School in Tacoma, Washington and after graduation went to Providence Hospital School of Nursing and graduated from Seattle University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
She met her beloved husband, John D. (Jack) Harrington while attending Seattle University and they were married on December 26, 1953 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army and had to report to Fort Belvoir, VA. Together they had three children and enjoyed living on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle where they had many life long friends. Joyce was a public health nurse for the City of Seattle and loved her job.
During the mid sixties they relocated their family to San Mateo, CA and started a new chapter. While working at Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame, she met the director of nursing from the College of San Mateo who encouraged her to earn a Master’s Degree at UCSF so that she could teach in the nursing program at the college. This allowed her the opportunity to share her knowledge and skills at what she loved doing the most, caring for others and teaching her profession.
Joyce was generous and loving to all, strong willed with a sense of humor, deep faith and a desire to travel the world. An avid reader and life long learner, she inspired you to do the same. At home, the “Harrington Hotel” was always open to family, friends and those in need of a place to stay. Holiday celebrations and birthday parties with family and friends were lively and fun. She was a lover of all sports, especially baseball (Giants), basketball (Warriors) and regularly attended football games at Stanford University on Saturdays, 49er’s on Sundays. She
celebrated her 95th birthday before she left this earth, will be forever missed and always in our hearts.
Joyce was preceded in death by her husband Jack in 2016, her brothers Bob (Marvel) and Michael Laughlin. Survived by her children, Chuck (Dixie), Anne Marie (Michael) and Joan, nephew Kevin Laughlin, niece Colleen Laughlin Pardo and her five children.
Heartfelt thank you to Joyce’s caregivers, Daisy, Ella, Anne, Kina, Beth, Soana and Seaqueen.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11:00am (PST) on Friday, November 10, 2023 at St. Mark Catholic Church, 325 Marine View Drive, Belmont, CA . Interment at Calvary Cemetery, Seattle WA.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Joyce’s memory be made to her favorite charity: Doctors Without Borders or the charity of your choice.
