FARMINGTON – Charlotte Marie (Tripp) Harrington, 84, was born on Feb. 21, 1932 in Dover-Foxcroft and passed away on Dec. 30, 2016 in Farmington.
She was the daughter of Kenneth (“Buster”) Tripp and Elinor Hayes Tripp. She graduated from Foxcroft Academy in 1950 and attended the University of Maine at Orono, receiving her associate of arts from Miami-Dade College.
In December 1951, Charlotte married Stuart Wayne Harrington, her high school classmate and dear friend. They enjoyed many years of fun, travel and companionship until his death in October 1993.
Charlotte is survived by her children: Earl Daniel Harrington, of Dover-Foxcroft, and Susan Harrington Tedrick, of Farmington and Micanopy, Florida; and grandchildren: Bethany Lyn Harrington, of East Corinth, and Stuart Matthew Tedrick, of East Wilton. She is also survived by two sisters, Beverly Tripp Edgerly, of Guilford,and Lorinda Tripp Cushman, of Hodgdon; brothers-in-law: Charles F. Trottier, of Holden, and Phillippe E. Trottier, of Bangor; sisters-in-law: Maryanne Whitten, of Milo, and Jaqueline Priest, of Dover-Foxcroft; cousin Daniel W. Hayes, Jr, of Springfield, Mass.; and many nieces and nephews.
Charlotte had an interesting and varied career at Travelers Insurance, as an Air Force Base Exchange manager, substitute teacher, special needs aid, telephone operator, and realtor.
Charlotte thoroughly enjoyed he family’s military travels during Stuart’s military career. The Air Force took the Harrington’s to Texas; Massachusetts; Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco; Homestead, Florida; Klamath, California; Great Falls, Montana; and Bangor, Maine.
The travel bug did not end with Charlotte and Stuart’s semi-retirement in Ocala, Florida. Land tours and cruise ships took the Harrington’s to many countries in Europe; the Mediterranean; the Caribbean; the Adriatic; Central and South America; and Scandinavia as well as Canada and Russia. Charlotte very was proud that she had visited 49 of the United States and had plans to visit Hawaii when her health failed. Her daughter plans to scatter a few ashes there so that she can complete that quest.
Charlotte will be most remembered for her beautiful smile, her quick wit, her kindness, her energy and, especially, her beautiful alto voice. She performed with many chorales and ensembles, and in several genres, including Bound for Glory; Sounds of Glory; Joyful Noise; Marion Musi-cali Chorus; Sunpipers; and St. Paul’s UMC Chancel Choir. She was a charter member of the Marion Civic Chorale.
Over the years, a running joke developed between Charlotte and Susan. Whatever remarkable experience—a salmon run in Alaska; a haunting violin in The Hermitage in St. Petersburg; a Rembrandt in Amsterdam; a gospel blowout in Maine—she would lean over, grin and say, “Put that in my obituary.”
Well, Miss Charlotte, Nana, Mom: Here it is!
The date, time and location of a summertime service, honoring the life and lifetime of Charlotte will be announced at a later date. Inurnment will be at the Rural Grove Cemetery, Guilford Rd., Dover-Foxcroft.
Tributes and condolences may be shared on her memorial wall at www.wilesrc.com. Cremation and memorial services are in the care of the Wiles Remembrance Center, 137 Farmington Falls Road (Rtes. 2 & 27) Farmington.
Rest in peace Charlotte. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.