Jeffrey Harrington was a lifelong tradesman who took great pride in his work, in providing for his family, and in bringing old vehicles back to their former glory.
He died at St. Peter’s Hospital on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, surrounded by his loving family after a long hard-fought illness. He was 63.

Born in Albany on Sept. 29, 1958, he was the son of the late James Harrington and Shirley Merriman. He grew up in Altamont, the second of five siblings — four boys and a girl. His father worked for the post office and his mother stayed home to raise their children.

“We were a big, close family. It was crazy. It was loud. We laughed a lot and had a lot of happy times on Thatcher Drive. We never knew we didn’t have a ton,” said Mr. Harrington’s sister, Ellen Fisher.

As her older brother, Mr. Harrington would watch out for her, she said. In his youth, Mr. Harrington would hang out with friends as they rode bikes through the village.

“Jeff didn’t like to sit still,” said his sister. “He was always out and about.”

As a student at Guilderland High School, Mr. Harrington studied auto mechanics through a BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) program. “He loved cars and trucks,” said his sister.

He started work as a painter at Heritage Village apartments in Guilderland and worked his way up to being superintendent for the large complex, a job he held for 18 years, his son Daniel Harrington said.

Daniel Harrington is a member, as was his father, of the UA (United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices) Local 7 Plumbers & Steamfitters union.

“He was an extremely hard worker,” said Daniel Harrington of his father.

“I grew up, the first 12 years of my life, in Heritage Village,” said Mr. Harrington’s younger son, Sean. “He was proud to be able to buy the family home.”

That house, on State Farm Road in Guilderland, was built in the 1920s as a weekend home.

“It was untouched since the ’60s and needed to be gutted and rehabbed,” said Daniel Harrington, who, as a teenager, helped his father with projects ranging from building a new kitchen to installing a boiler.

He described the home as “a constant construction project” for his father. Mr. Harrington always took meticulous care of his home and property, his family said.

In 2001, Jeffrey Harrington added a large two-bay garage to the house.

“He worked on cars his whole life,” said Sean Harrington. His family said that his fully restored 1956 Chevy pickup truck was a source of pride and joy for him, winning many awards at car shows around the Capital Region.

“Part of his lifelong dream was to have a garage for himself,” said Sean Harrington, calling the 2001 addition “his happy place.”

Another happy place for Mr. Harrington was the family camp on Efner Lake in Corinth, New York. Mr. Harrington was an avid fisherman and hunter throughout his life.

The ever-growing Harrington family gets together “almost weekly,” Ms. Fisher said, celebrating birthdays and holidays. A second camp, near the family’s first camp on Efner Lake was purchased to accommodate new generations of Harringtons.

“We still go to that lake; it’s a huge part of our family,” said Sean Harrington.

“I spent my entire life trying to emulate my dad,” said Daniel Harrington. “I followed in his footsteps as a tradesperson and now as a father myself,” he said, adding, “He was an incredible grandfather; my kids love him.”

Sean Harrington said he would not have purchased the two-family home in Voorheesville he did in 2013 if it hadn’t been for his father’s support and his brother’s too.

“My dad was able to help a huge amount with my place,” he said. “He was so handy and so knowledgeable.”

Mr. Harrington’s partner, Jill Raymond, described him as a problem solver. He looked at each job as a challenge, she said. “He liked figuring it out, like putting pieces of a puzzle together.”

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Jeffrey Harrington is survived by his beloved sons, Daniel Harrington and his wife, Corinne, and Sean Harrington; by his cherished granddaughters, Norah and Maggie; and by his partner, Jill Raymond.

He is also survived by his sister, Ellen Fisher, and her husband, Kirk; by his brothers, James Harrington whose wife, Lynda, died in 2018, Greg Harrington and his wife, Patti, and Eric Harrington and his fiancée, Lisa; and by a large loving extended family.

His loving wife of 34 years, Jane “Mitch” Harrington, died in 2014.

Memorial contributions may be made to Guilderland Emergency Medical Services, 200 Centre Drive, Albany NY, 12203.

Calling hours will be held on Friday, Jan. 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Fredendall Funeral Home at 199 Main St. in Altamont.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer