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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Obituary: Harrington, Bill E.

Age 90

HARRINGTON, Bill E. (Age 90) Feb. 4,1923 - Aug 5, 2013 Bill E. Harrington passed away peacefully Monday morning August 5th at home while in the company of his family.

He was the first born child of “Girtie” (Wood) and Wilfred E. Harrington of Spokane, Washington.

Bill was born at home behind his parents grocery store in the Dishman area on Sprague Avenue.

In 1925, when he was two years old, the family moved to Lincoln Heights, where his parents opened Harrington’s Mercantile (a hardware, feed and dry good store at 29th and Regal.)

This eventually became the first IGA Foodliner in Lincoln Heights.

Bill learned the grocery business from his parents including the meat cutting trade from his father.

He spent the majority of his life in the Lincoln Heights area where he attended Adams Elementary from 1929 thru 1937 and graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1941.

He attended Gonzaga University for a short time before WWII called him and he joined the Air Force in 1942.

He received his initial training at Mitchell Air Force Base in New York and Radio Communications Training at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

In early 1945 he returned to Spokane and went back to work in the family grocery store.

In May of 1945, Bill had met the love of his life, Victoria “Vickie” Kelp.

This all happened one day at the bus stop at 29th and Regal.

He promptly returned home and happily announced “I just met the girl that I’m going to marry!

“, and he did four months later on September 29th.

Bill and Vickie celebrated 67 years of marriage last September, two months before Vickie passed away.

Bill loved all aspects of business.

Along with the Lincoln Heights IGA, which he bought from his parents in the late 40’s, he operated other grocery stores in Rockford and Odessa and he even started an insurance agency featuring PEMCO Insurance, which he operated for over 36 years.

The 1970’s and 80’s were filled with fun and excitement as he enjoyed time with his family, grandchildren and many special friends.

He and Vickie enjoyed traveling the world to watch their daughter Julie play tennis.

Bill was an active, hard working man and in his early 80’s could still be found doing the maintenance on his property at 29th and Regal.

People still remark seeing him, at 82 years old, up on the building, repairing and tarring the roof.

He finally semi-retired in 2007 at 84 years old, when the fire department said they would charge him if they were ever called to help remove him from the roof.

Bill was first and foremost a “people person”.

He loved talking with everyone: men’s groups, morning coffee, friends at “Studio K”, where he and Vickie had breakfast almost daily, and reminiscing with his family and others about the history of Lincoln Heights.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife, (Vickie); their first born son (Benny); his parents (Gertrude and Wilford); two sisters (Bonnie Stuart and Louise Carl); and his granddaughter (Tiffany Harrington).

He is survived by his daughter (Annie); son (Joe); and daughter Julie); four grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

We love you Dad and Grandpa!

You will be missed!

Memorial Service will be held at: Moran Prairie Cemetery, at 65th and Regal, Spokane, WA on Saturday, September 7th at 1:00 PM.

Open House to follow- Info will be handed out at the service.