EDEN, MD – Esther Harrington Ball, 79, of Eden went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, January 23, 2014 at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, MD. Born in Mt. Vernon on January 28, 1934, she was the daughter of the late Benjamin Franklin Harrington, Jr. and Etta Dashiell Harrington.
Esther first pursued her love of education by teaching Sunday School at St. John's United Methodist Church in Fruitland and later teaching adult bible study classes at First Baptist Church in Fruitland of which she was a member for many years. She will be dearly missed by her "Saturday Night Dinner Gang" and the Fruitland McDonald's "Coffee Club."
She graduated from Washington High School in Princess Anne in 1952, and then received her Associate in Arts degree from Maryland State Teachers College, now Salisbury University, in 1954. She then went on to receive her Bachelor of Science in Education from Maryland State Teachers College in 1956 and her Master of Education degree in 1968. During this time she was still determined to keep teaching the Word of God to her faithful students.
After Daphne was adopted, Esther chose to stay home with her new daughter until she reached the age of 5. Once her daughter began school, Esther continued her love of teaching in the Wicomico County Public School System, beginning in 1973. She taught English at Wicomico Junior High School, now Wicomico Middle, until 1979. When Parkside High School opened that fall, she relocated and taught General Math II and Geometry until her retirement in 1986. Her students will always remember her as the math teacher who thought of them as a "scholar" or a "scallywag." Following her retirement from Wicomico County Public Schools, Esther taught at Woodridge Business Institute in Salisbury until 1995.
In addition to her parents, Esther was pre-deceased by her husband, Robert Clayton; sister, Ruth Harrington Dunn (and husband, Lew); three brothers: Benjamin Harrington III, Herbert Harrington and Charles "Sonny" Harrington (and wife, Betty).
Esther is survived by her immediate family in Eden, including daughter, Daphne F. Chatham; son-in-law, Grover Todd Chatham, Jr.; grandson, Grover 'Trey' Chatham, III; as well as granddaughter, Brittney Joseph, and great-grandson Dallas Tatum, Jr. (both of Mt. Vernon). She is also survived by sisters-in-law, Jean Harrington of Elkton, MD and Betty Harrington of Wilmington, DE; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and a host of friends. A special friend was Sharon Harding, whom she loved like a daughter.
A viewing will be held on Monday, January 27, 2014 from 7 to 9 pm at Hinman Funeral Home in Princess Anne. A funeral service will be held on what would have been her 80th birthday Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 2 pm, with a visitation one hour prior to the service. Internment will be held at Zion Cemetery in Eden. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Esther's name to St. John's United Methodist Church, PO Box 236, Fruitland, MD 21826, or First Baptist Church of Fruitland, PO Box 27, Fruitland, MD 21826.