John C. Harrington III, 77, of Newark DE passed away on October 1, 2015 after an extended illness.

He was born in Warren, PA to Eloise and John C Harrington Jr. He was a 1956 graduate of Warren Area High School, and attended Gannon College in Erie PA. John lived in the Warren area for most of his early life. In 1978 he moved his family to Corona, CA, to start a business venture, which began a series of relocations to various communities including Anaheim Hills, CA; Scottsdale, AZ; and Saint Marys, GA.

He is pre-deceased by his parents and a brother David W. Harrington. He is survived by his wife of 55 years Leona M. Harrington of Newark, DE; a son John (Rebecca) Harrington of Newark, DE; a daughter Lynn Kay-Harrington of Placentia, CA; a brother Robert J. Harrington of Warren, PA; six grandchildren Thomas, Connor and Luke Harrington, Allison, Kurtis, and Jeffrey Kay; and several nieces and nephews.

John’s early career was as a Trust Officer in the Trust Department at Warren National Bank (now PNC). He moved to California at age 40 with his first entrepreneurial venture, where he was co-principal of Inland Manufacturing in Riverside CA, a plastic injection molding and tooling operation. His next venture was in micro-connector technologies, where Nanonics Corporation grew from two principals at a dining room table in 1988, to over 100 employees at a manufacturing and warehouse facility in Phoenix, AZ. A number of the world’s larger aero-space and oil corporations, including McDonnell Douglas, Lockheed Martin, Schlumberger, Northrup Grumman, Honeywell, and Boeing, qualified Nanonics as a key supplier for their high reliability, ultra-miniature interconnection systems. Nanonics was named to the Inc. Magazine top 500 fastest growing companies in 1996, and John and his co-principal Ed Burger were named Entrepreneurs of the Year in 1998 by the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.

John was an accomplished athlete in high school and college, where he was a letterman in basketball in high school, played American Legion baseball, and was on the Gannon College basketball team. In his later years, he developed an interest in auto racing. He was involved in the early stages of Swift Racing Cars, participated in BMW club auto racing, and spent many afternoons watching NASCAR races. John was very loyal to his friends and family over the years. He leaves many friends across the communities where he lived, who will miss his fun nature and sense of humor.

Friends may call on Monday, October 5, 2015 at Holy Redeemer R. C. Church gathering space from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow visitation conducted by Fr. Richard Toohey, Pastor of St. Joseph R.C. Church, officiating. Interment will be in St. Joseph R.C. Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Alzheimers Association Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter, 1128 State Street, Suite 301, Erie, PA. 16501.

E-mail condolences may be sent by visiting www.lewisfuneralhomeinc.com
The Donald E. Lewis Funeral Home, Inc. is in charge of local arrangements.