Plan for the Future
Daniel Joseph Hartigan, of Chatham, died at home on June 15, 2012, at the age of 86, with his loving family at his side. He was born in Rockhill, Co. Limerick, Ireland, the son of Johanna (Winters) Hartigan and Daniel Hartigan. He and his nine siblings grew up in the beauty of the Irish countryside amid turbulent times, of which he wrote movingly in his memoir. When he was 21, he moved to London, England, where he was employed by Maggs Bros. Ltd., a dealer in rare books. Searching for greater opportunities, in December of 1947 he boarded a ship bound for New York, where he began a career in the shipping industry. He subsequently worked in lower Manhattan as a rare specialist for Grace Lines and Prudential Lines, serving as Conference Secretary of the Latin American Steamship Association before his retirement in 1992.
In 1953, while returning from a visit to Ireland aboard the SS United States, he met his future wife, Eileen Pedersen. Their shipboard romance let to a wedding the following year. They settled in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn, NY, where their two daughters, Lisa and Laura were born. In 1965 Dan and his family moved to their home in Chatham. Always ready with an endless supply of jokes and songs, Dan loved gardening, golf, traveling (particularly by ship) and playing with his grandchildren. His curiosity was far reaching, and he enjoyed talking politics. For over four decades, Dan was an active parishioner at Chatham’s St Patrick Church, where he helped to raise funds for the Parish Center, served as an usher, and was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Parcells Council. He was also a member of the Chatham Men’s Breakfast Club.
Dan is survived by his wife of 58 years, Eileen; daughters Lisa St. Amand of Boxborough, MA, and Laura Giles of Upper Montclair, NJ; sons-in-law David St. Amand and Walter Giles; grandchildren Bryan, Sarah, Robin and Elizabeth; sisters Sarah of Santa Barbara, CA, and Philomena Slade of Devon, England.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, June 22, 2012 at 11am at St Patrick Church 85 Washington Ave, in Chatham, with a repast following. Interment will be private.