Kenneth H. Harrington

Kenneth H. Harrington Royalston – Kenneth H. Harrington, 85, of 185 South Royalston Road died Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center-University Campus in Worcester.      Kenneth was born in Royalston, Massachusetts, June 21, 1925, the son of Arthur and Pearl (Fenner) Harrington. He grew up and has lived on the family farm in Royalston all of his life, also attending Royalston schools.      He worked on the Harrington family farm all of his life except for working at the Great American Paper Mill in Fitchburg for 12 years.  Kenneth always had a great love for animals and nature and was known to his family and friends as always being a very generous man.  He loved children, teaching many of his nieces and nephews how to drive farm trucks and tractors when most children their age were just learning to ride a bike without training wheels.  In his later years he was especially close to his nieces Bonny and Holly and his sister’s nephew Al Cordio.  He enjoyed God’s creations when he took the children for a ride on the Royalston roads when he would ask the children the names of the trees and he would identify every species by the bark, smell and the leaves.  The Harrington family farmed in Royalston for at least four generations and Kenny’s generation was the last.  There used to be many farms in town.  He did what diary farmers do, milk cows, cut wood, cutting, pitching and bailing hay and fixing the equipment when it would break down, which was quite often.  He was given the middle name of Hiram after his great grandfather who was born in 1807 and died in 1886.  He along with his great grandfather’s wife and Kenney’s grandparents are buried in the Center Cemetery in Royalston.  His father and mother are buried in Lawrence Brook Cemetery.      He leaves four brothers; Edward Hawes and his wife Myriam of Warwick, Raleigh Harrington and his wife Martha of Gardner, Roger Harrington and his wife Helen of Royalston and Stanley Harrington of Gardner; two sisters, Virginia Moore of South Royalston and Shirley Greenwood and her husband Allan of Templeton.  He also leaves many nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by four brothers; Glenn, Robert, Howard and David Harrington and a sister Goldie.      A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. at the Second Congregational Church in South Royalston with the Rev. Jeffrey Francis, pastor of the First and Second Congregational Churches of Royalston officiating.  There are no calling hours and in lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions be made to the Second Congregational Church, c/o Brian Bean, 3 School St., South Royalston, MA  01368.  Higgins-O’Connor Funeral Home, 146 Main St., Athol, MA is directing arrangements.  For more information or to share a memory with the family go to: www.higginsoconnorfuneralhome.com. $(document).ready(function(){ });