Catherine Ann (Brennock) Harrington, age 89, of Braintree, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully into eternal life on November 30, 2020, at the home of her daughter, Marianne. Kay, as her friends called her, was a first generation American and the second eldest child of John and Agnus (Power) Brennock of Newfoundland, Canada, who married after arriving in the United States. Agnus died in childbirth when Kay was only five years old leaving her father, who was a fisherman by trade, with four children under the age of seven to care for. Through Catholic Charities, Mr. Brennock was able to find homes for his children to live while he was out at sea, visiting them when he returned every couple of weeks.
Providentially, an older woman whom the children called “Aunt” Polly and her husband “Uncle” Henry, who were childless, met Mr. Brennock and decided to take the children into their home and care for them. Kay, who was 11 years old at the time, lived with aunt Polly and uncle Henry until she turned 21 in 1952, the year she married her husband Maurice “Bucky” Harrington of 47 years.
Born and raised in South Boston and Dorchester, Kay attended parochial schools and graduated from Monsignor Ryan High School of St. Margaret Parish. In 1965, Kay and Bucky moved to Braintree, where they raised their seven children. A lifelong Catholic, Kay was a devoted parishioner of St. Thomas More Church and an active member of the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary, serving for a time as its Prefect.
Always willing to help those in need, for years Kay prepared and served home cooked meals to female residents of the Pine Street Inn of Boston. She was also an active member of the parish pro-life group and a faithful contributor to Friends of the Unborn, a maternity home and program for pregnant women in need of shelter and support located in the city of Quincy.
For many years Kay joined other “pro-lifers” traveling to Washington DC to participate in the annual March for Life. In her later years, after her children had grown up, Kay enjoyed very much serving as a homemaker health aid to women in Braintree and the surrounding area.
A devoted mother, Kay cherished most of all spending time with her husband and children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and her little darling dog “Buffy”. She always loved the town of Braintree and her lovely home on Magnolia Street. She and her husband spent many years with their family enjoying their little cottage on the lake in Andover, New Hampshire. Kay will always be remembered for her deep faith and for her cheerful loving kindness to everyone she met.
Beloved mother of Timothy and his wife Deanne of Charlotte, North Carolina; Marianne Torney of Braintree, Massachusetts; Rev. John P. Harrington of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts; Robert and his wife Kathleen of Plymouth, Massachusetts; Daniel and his wife Marguerite of Pearl City, Illinois; Thomas and his wife Laura of Downers Grove, Illinois; and the late James Michael. Beloved sister of the late Phyllis Ryan and of two brothers the late John and Robert Brennock. Loving grandmother to 30 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Funeral from the Clancy-Lucid Funeral Home, 100 Washington St., Weymouth, on Monday, December 7, at 9:30 AM. Funeral Mass at Immaculate Conception Church, East Weymouth, at 10:30 AM. Visiting hours on Sunday from 1 until 5 PM and 6 until 8 PM. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Burial in St. Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury, Massachusetts. If desired, donations may be made in Kay’s memory to Friends of the Unborn, PO Box 692246, Quincy, MA 02269, 617-786-7903. For messages and directions, see clancylucid.com.