THOMAS F. HARRIGAN JR.

Thomas Harrigan’s commitment to community service was as steadfast as his faith. 

“Tom simply kept showing up,” the 93-year-old’s obituary notes. He delivered turkeys, helped rebuild homes and brought Holy Communion to nursing homes. 

“He didn’t wait to be asked.” 

“Tom was definitely a man with a strong moral compass,” his family noted in an email. “ … He believed that if he had the ability, he needed to help.” 

Tom’s faith was practiced at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Moorestown, where he and his wife of 71 years, Joan, resided after raising their three children. He was an involved parent who “showed up loudly and proudly on the sidelines,” according to his obituary. 

Tom learned early about commitment. Raised in Brooklyn – where he also met his wife – he was a Navy officer who rose to the rank of commander and made stops across the country with Joan, including a memorable time in the Panama Canal Zone. 

“Wherever he was stationed,” the obit recounts, “Tom led with steadiness, responsibility and an unshakable sense that people mattered.”

That didn’t end with his military career. 

“The uniform changed,” as the obit puts it, “but the mission didn’t.”

Tom’s passion for life included Irish dancing, into which he put as much spirit as he did his charitable efforts. He was an inspiring presence in the lives not only of his children, but 10 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

“He believed they could be or do whatever they set their sights on and encouraged them to strive for their goals,” the family recalled. “He was consistent, loyal, a man of tremendous faith and conviction, but above all, he was steadfast in his love for his wife and his family.”

“He loved big,” Tom’s obituary concludes, “served without hesitation, and lived fully to the very end.”

Sources: Legacy.com, Mount Laurel Home for Funerals and Cremation Services. 

TRICIA ROMANO

They say she colored the world around her when she was born. Tricia Romano could also light up many a room – with her laugh. 

“Tricia had a gift for making ordinary moments fun,” says the 55-year-old’s obituary.

She did that by cooking her mother’s favorite recipes – killer crab gravy and potato salad – and expressing herself with painting and gardening, displaying an imagination that “bedazzled” others, as the obituary puts it.  

Tricia never missed a chance to tell others how much she loved them. And while the human world was brighter for her presence, so was the world of animals she loved and nurtured over the years, including customers of her pet grooming business, Mary Puppens.   

“They were like her family,” notes her obit, “and she treated them with the same warmth and desire she gave to everyone in her life.” 

The humans in Tricia’s life described a place full of her “kindness, humor and loving spirit.”

A place that may now have a little less color.     

Sources: Legacy.com, McGuinness Funeral Homes 

Inside the obits
Overcoming hardship

Some of the most poignant obituaries reflect a loved one whose road in life didn’t keep them from living full lives. Here are four:

Barbara Cremean lost a battle with cancer that had already tested her life and her spirit. The 64-year-old survived three advanced lung cancers. But illness did not keep her from her passions: She bowled, she traveled, she cooked, she baked. “Her strength inspired those around her,” her obituary noted, “and never diminished the warmth she shared so freely.”  

Maryanne Judy Shay was remembered for her determination, and it’s likely she needed all of it. The 95-year-old lost her father in a car accident when she was just 5. She was widowed at 73, raising three children who all went to college on a teacher’s salary. But one mourner noted in an online post how he twice got to sit at her Thanksgiving table.

Daniel “Danny” Abraham Molloie was just 55 when he passed. But he packed a lot into those years, despite a disability that put him in a wheelchair. He para-sailed and bungee jumped from a hot-air balloon. He got to work on his own every day to serve as a director of the Camden County Office of the Disabled. His obituary notes that he dealt with “significant hardships with strength, grace and a smile on his face.” 

Paula Merle wore many hats in her 71 years, including hard hats. At one point in a very busy life, she was a construction worker and a factory foreman. She struggled early because of family losses; chronic illness; and an addiction, her obituary notes. She had a daughter with cerebral palsy for whom she advocated, along with other children, and brought an addiction program to her church. That and more gave her a “beloved place in her community,” her obituary says.    

The Good Life appears twice a month. To suggest someone who recently passed away for a tribute, email Christina Mitchell at cmitchell@donnelly.media. Please describe in a few words something about the person’s life.