John Sebree Farrington

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Huntsville Times via Bill Welter on December 28, 2006:

Talented Jack Farrington was 'man for all seasons' Skills at playing piano one of many facets, friends say Sunday, December 24, 2006 By GINA HANNAH Times Business Writer, gina.hannah@htimes.com Friends and family say they will miss many things about Jack Farrington, and they'll never forget his hands. The image they hold in their memories is of a tall, handsome man playing the piano, his hands moving across the keys large and graceful but worn and tough, with grease under the fingernails. Farrington, who died Dec. 14 at age 73, loved music, food and travel. He enjoyed restoring old British cars. Pages of e-mails sent to Farrington's wife, Beverly, describe him as a "renaissance man" and a true friend, who was charming and gracious, giving and talented. "To me, his hands represented the wide range of interests, hobbies and pleasures in his life," said Susan Johnson, Farrington's sister-in-law. "I have many fond memories of Jack's fingers tearing up the keys on the piano while playing jazzy tunes. I remember Jack's hands holding a pen while working on countless crossword puzzles." "His great love, besides Beverly, was to restore old cars to their new condition," said Bob Boerner, Farrington's father-in-law. Farrington played for the sheer love of the music, volunteering his time at receptions around town, friends said. He could be seen at the keyboard at receptions for the Huntsville Museum of Art and Huntsville Symphony and for such visitors as Charles Kuralt and Itzhak Perlman. "That was his gift to the community," said Dot Boerner, Farrington's mother-in-law. Friend David Chamberlain remembers Farrington as "a man for all seasons" and a multitalented person whose ability and humanity were deep in their capacity. "By knowing him, you grew as a person. His acceptance of me was a privilege, a source of self-esteem," Chamberlain added. "His presence in my life, as a friend and mentor, will not be replaced." Bob Hembree, mayor of Guntersville, where the Farringtons spent much of their summers, said Farrington was blessed "with all of the characteristics you would expect the fictional hero of a novel to posses." "I will miss discussing current events with him and hearing his hearty laugh," Hembree said. Beverly Farrington said she and Jack met at a party. He took her home, kissed her at the door and invited her to a jazz concert. After that concert, he was to play the piano at Finnegan's Pub, one of his frequent venues. "He was intelligent, handsome, and then he played the piano for me and I fell in love," she said. The couple married three years later and were wed for 21 years. They traveled extensively and attended cooking schools in New Orleans; Savannah, Ga.; Mexico; France; and Italy. "He loved to make bouillabaisse," Beverly said. "He also loved to make paella." As a child in Belleville, Ill., Farrington suffered from polio, and his mother didn't want him outdoors playing sports. Instead, he learned to play piano, learning the classics and attending a musical conservatory in St. Louis. While there, he met famed pianist Errol Garner, who taught the young Farrington to play jazz piano. Farrington began getting paid gigs in nightclubs at age 16, earning union wages. He graduated from West Point, where he was called "Fingers Farrington" by classmates for his piano playing. Philip Enslow of Atlanta, who was Farrington's classmate at the military academy, said his friend, despite his height, had a talent for "blending in" and avoiding the eye of the upperclassmen. "However, Jack was anything but a retiring, shy person; he just managed to have that magic cloak of invisibility he could use when he wanted to," Enslow said. He had a career in the military, serving in Germany, the South Pacific, Vietnam and Huntsville. He retired as a lieutenant colonel. He moved to Huntsville in 1968. After retiring from the Army, he worked as an engineer for Teledyne Brown. After retiring a second time, he opened Jack's Toy Shop, where he pursued his love of auto restoration. His community activities included the Huntsville Symphony, Leadership Huntsville/Madison County, Panoply, Tennessee Valley Jazz Society and Episcopal Church of the Nativity. "He wasn't from the South, but he was a true Southern gentleman," said Ed Laughlin, one of Farrington's longtime friends. "His only flaw was that he left us too soon." - 2006 The Huntsville Times - 2006 al.com All Rights Reserved.

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