Irene Harrington

Irene Jessie "Rene" Vratil Harrington, age 90, of Stoney Brook Drive, passed away on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at The Homestead. A native of Larned, Kansas, she was the daughter of the late Victor and Mary Savatos Vratil. She was a prior resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado and moved to Haywood County a year and half ago to be near her family. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Leonard James Harrington, who died in March, 2014; 12 brothers and four sisters. She was the last surviving member of her family of 17 children. She retired as a civil service financial officer at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Following her retirement, she fell in love with the game of golf and played in the Ladies Tournament. She was a member of First United Methodist Church of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Rene loved crafts and using her skills to create special tokens of love for her family. She loved and enjoyed cooking for her family and creating special meals for them as often as possible. Rene enjoyed being around others, having never met a stranger. She is survived by a daughter, Deborah H. Valliere and her husband, Joseph, of Clyde; one son, Kelly James Harrington, and his wife, Claudette, of Black Mountain; four grandchildren, Shane David Valliere and his wife, Amy, Matthew Joseph Valliere and his fiancé, Jenny Wood, Stephen Ryan Valliere and his wife, Jessica, all of Clyde, and Bryan Donald Harrington and his wife, Melissa; seven great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. A private family service will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to The Homestead, 127 Sunset Ridge, Clyde, NC 28721.