In her final weeks, Donna and I did a lot of planning for what was to come.  One question that came up was what she wanted done with her ashes.  She said, "I don't know, is it legal in Maryland to just dispose of them?"  I told her I thought we could do better than that.  So I looked online and found that you can bury or spread them on your private property (this held little appeal), scatter them at sea (this held NO appeal), or scatter them at a national park.  With this, her face lit up and she said, "Like Acadia?"  I decided right then that that's what we were going to do.

We celebrated Donna on her birthday (May 31) by spreading her ashes at one of her favorite places on Earth, Acadia National Park in Maine.  Her family and friends gathered together as the wind on Cadillac Mountain carried her ashes away into the beautiful sunshine.  There were a few laughs, many tears, and lots of hugs as we said goodbye to my wonderful wife and best friend.  I love you, Sweetie.

It was probably over a dozen years ago when Donna sheepishly confessed to me that she'd woken up on the first of May and her first thought was "It's my birthday month."   Many people enjoy celebrating on a specific day but Donna like to spread out her fun throughout the month.  Of course from then on John and I always wished her "Happy Birthday Month" when the month of May rolled around.    

My wife, Becky, and I have been very close friends with Donna for more than three decades.  Over the years we have spent a great deal of time with Donna though life’s highs and lows. I would like to remember Donna  by sharing  a few key moments in Ken and Donna’s courtship, as we saw it though our relationship with Donna.
In the spring of 2003 Donna told us that she had agreed to go on a date with someone a friend had recommended. She wasn’t sure she was ready to date yet but she would give it a try. After the date she told us that it went OK and that she would see Ken again. 
Ken and Donna dated throughout the summer and fall and it was going very well.  Pretty soon December rolled around and Donna told us that Ken had asked her to go to Buffalo at Christmas to meet his family.  This was a big step in the relationship and she wasn’t sure she was ready, but she had agreed to go.  Then there was that little bit of anxiety. What if his family doesn’t like me?  They go to Buffalo and of course Ken’s family loves her. How could they not?
Their relationship is getting pretty serious by now. After Valentine’s day Donna tells us that she had gone ring shopping with Ken.  “But don’t read too much into it, he hasn’t proposed and I haven’t excepted.” I’m thinking.  I have seen you two together, when Ken proposes I know what your answer will be.
Several weeks go by. Just before Easter Donna says to us. In February I wasn’t ready for a proposal but now I’m thinking “Where’s my damn ring?”
With the impeccable timing that Ken always seemed to have in dating Donna. He put the engagement ring in an Easter egg and proposed on Easter.  They were married later that year.


I met Donna over 30 years ago when I was a freshman in college and she was a junior.  I’ve always tried to choose friends who are smarter than me – in hopes they would rub off on me.   Over time it became abundantly clear that I really hit the jackpot with Donna.  She was an ideal friend – bright, supportive & caring while also fun and interesting.   
Donna was always up for trying something new and often brought me along.  One of the many new things I tried with Donna was quilting.   It was brave of her to introduce me to quilting since I didn’t even know how to sew.  We joined a quilt guild together and expanded our skills considerably – with Donna continuing to teach me new techniques as she challenged herself to grow in our shared hobby.  
I could never understand why other guild members went on quilting retreats in remote places as my favorite place to quilt was always Donna’s quilt room.  It was perfectly organized, outfitted with everything we needed - including staffed with the world’s best teacher - Donna.  The fun we had together was so contagious that both my sisters joined in – one lives in Maine and the other in Connecticut.  Donna encouraged them first by sending quilts she made, then later gifts of fabric to inspire their projects and by joining virtual brainstorming sessions about color, fabric, and pattern selection.  
Every time I walk through my house I am greeted by quilts Donna made for me.  When I enter my quilt room, I smile remembering the times we shared and the love of quilting she instilled.  In the past ten years, I’ve seldom made a quilt that didn’t use at least one fabric from Donna, a pattern or tool she loaned me, fabrics she helped me select, or a design she inspired.  She was just as intertwined in other aspects of my life and I will always treasure Donna, the sister I chose, and I am grateful for the many ways in which she brightened my life.


Dr. Harrington is the fondest memory I have from the doctoral program at UMB School of Social Work. Her warm, gentle manner belied a statistical powerhouse. I was in awe of her depth of knowledge and her ability to pass it on to us. Two semesters of statistics could have been a tedious nightmare but Dr. Harrington had the ability to present the material with clarity and good humor. And she was the kind of professor that a student just wants to please. We worked very hard for her. I know I did. I was, and am, very grateful to have been in her classes. Hearing of her death makes me sad for all of the students that will not have the privilege of learning from her. Knowing she is gone is knowing a bright light has gone out in the universe. 

Such a tragic loss for the school, students and faculty.  I know how UMB doctoral students flourished under Donna's tutelage. But she was such a wonderful collaborator and help to faculty. Donna worked with me on several studies of my own. As someone who loved statistics and what they could show, but claimed no great expertise, I found Donna to be an invaluable partner in what I was trying to do.  She was patient, always interested in the key questions and logic of a study, which were mine to sort out. I am so very grateful for her wise and generous assistance. She will be so deeply missed.

Betsy Vourlekis
Professor Emerita

Donna and I attended graduate school together.  We became close as the only students in our cohort to finish the program.  Donna was a dedicated student who was always prepared and organized.  I recall she shined in statistics courses!  

A distinct memory is when she invited me over to her apartment to work together.  When I arrived, she was preparing dough from scratch to make homemade calzones.  Everything she did was done at the highest level of quality!  There were rare relaxing times outside of the classroom, but I fondly remember experiencing the crazy nightlife at the Baltimore harbor with Donna.  

Donna was special and I was blessed to have shared an important part of my life with her.  I am thrilled about her numerous professional successes and accolades.  She deserved such wonderful recognition. 

May this bright star continue to shine in the hearts and minds of those she inspired!



Donna was my favorite professor when I was in the doctoral program.  She is the reason why I love statistics and use data analysis in my current position to help improve treatment programs.  Donna was a wonderful person and had a very positive impact on my life.   Donna will always be missed and never be forgotten!

I was immensely privileged and honored to be one of Donna's professors when she was a doctoral student at UMBC and then to serve as a fellow Associate Dean and colleague on the UMB/UMBC Graduate Council. What impressed me most about Donna -- beyond her remarkable gifts as a scholar, researcher, teacher, and mentor -- were her extraordinary generosity, wisdom, compassion, sensitivity, and kindness.  I feel so very blessed that she was a cherished part of my life . . . and of so many others' lives. I extend my warmest wishes and heartfelt condolences to her beloved family, friends, colleagues, and students.

Donna was so smart and so kind, making her a masterful mentor. I was fortunate to know and watch her blossom from early in her career. She was wonderfully  nurturing of so many grad students. Such a sad and untimely loss. I will miss Donna. 

Donna was my friend and quilting mentor. My favorite memories are of doing the “round robin” quilts with Donna and my sister, sending fabric and quilting  between Maryland and Maine. It was Donna’s idea and it was fun!   I enjoyed the times that we met at the Maine Quilt Show. Donna always had so much knowledge  about the quilts and the quilting process. We made sure to break for lunch at Red Rooster.  My husband and I enjoyed visiting Donna and Ken in Belfast, Maine in the summer, meeting for lunch and exploring the town.  Condolences to Donna’s family and friends. We are sorry for your loss of such a wonderful, smart and caring  person.  
Sam and Harry

I am so sorry to hear of Donna's passing. I enjoyed working with her at the University of Maryland School of Social Work

I was a late-life doctoral student at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work.  Donna was a major reason why I was able to complete the program.  I commuted 2 and 1-2 hours one-way to Baltimore and was teaching full-time at Frostburg State University while I was a part-time doctoral student.   I entered the program after the death of my 14-year-old son, and while I was a Ph.D. student, I suffered the loss of my mother and aunt for whom I was the primary caregiver.  I remember one day breaking down in tears in Donna's office because the stress had just become too much.  In her calm and patient way, she helped me regroup and put things into perspective.  She always encouraged me and believed in me.  I favor qualitative research, and she and I used to joke about our differences in this respect.  One thing I will never forget is that when I was struggling through a statistics class with her, she told me that "statistics is a tool to help the data tell a story."  What wise counsel to someone like myself who is a lover of stories.  That memory demonstrates her abiding skill as an educator.   She had a profound impact on my life and I will always be thankful to have known her.       

OBITUARY

Dr. Donna Lee Harrington

May 31, 1963 – March 30, 2018

Gary L. Kaufman Funeral Home at Meadowridge Memorial Park

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