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INDIANAPOLIS — Jerome Harrington served in the military for 26 years. After serving his country, he continued to serve in other ways. Harrison volunteered with the Red Cross and performing outreach and special projects for his church.
His son, Christopher Harrington said that despite retiring, his dad never really stopped working.
“Being retired from all those things he still wouldn’t sit still he still worked part time doing enterprise, he was always doing something. Didn’t know what retirement meant,” Christopher said.
Jerome married the love of his life, Sharon, in 1972. The two shared a loving marriage that Christopher aspires to.
“They were just so in love it really gave me that kind of example of what I want,” Christopher said.
Sharon said she fell in love with Jerome before they even met. “His voice, that was something that would captivate you. I spoke to him on the phone before I met him and I think I fell in love with him when I heard his voice.”
The two were married for 48 years. Sharon said Jerome spoiled her and their children.
“Up until the day he passed away it seemed like the day we first met we were still in love,” Sharon said.
Jerome caught COVID-19 in April of last year. Sharon said he did not want to go to the doctor at first, but eventually he had no choice.
“Finally he was out of breath and just couldn’t walk and that’s when we took him to the hospital,” Sharon said.
That was the last time she saw her husband in person. The two were able to communicate on the phone and through FaceTime while Jerome was in the hospital, but shortly after he was brought in he was put on a breathing machine. Jerome passed away on April 9, 2020. He was 76.
Sharon said she finds comfort in the memories she has of the life they made together.
"He was a wonderful man, a wonderful husband, a wonderful father. I tell everybody when he went away the mold was broken because I don't think there could be another man like him. He was one in a million, one in two million… wonderful,” Sharon said.
