Margaret Harrington

Miss Margaret “Vista” Harrington, 87, of Winston-Salem passed away Wednesday, September 16, 2020, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Alexander County, North Carolina to the late Abner Clyde Harrington Sr. and Edna McLeod Harrington on March 16, 1933. She was the youngest of their five children and she had many aunts, uncles, and cousins, from both sides of her family, along with eight nieces and nephews.

Vista grew up in Alexander County where she graduated from Taylorsville High School. Following high school, she attended her first two years of college at Women’s College in Greensboro. The university’s name was later changed to UNC-Greensboro. In her junior year, she transferred to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to complete her BS in Medical Technology.

Vista began her career out of UNC-CH being employed as Medical Technologist at City Hospital in Winston-Salem.  When this hospital closed, she transferred to Forsyth Memorial Hospital where she worked first as a Medical Technologist, and later she was promoted to Chief of Medical Technology.  She was known as a caring mentor to young technologists who began their careers at Forsyth Medical Center.  She served in the capacity of Chief of Medical Technology for many years until she retired.

Always an eager person to contribute to the good of humanity in any way she could, she soon began another opportunity to work in the medical field to help others. After her retirement, Vista went to work at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in 2000 where she worked in Medical Records for the next 19 years. While there, she became known around the organization for her exuberance and caring, spreading joy in many ways.  Special among her contributions was her gift of decorating the building for each season of the year with beautiful, tasteful décor to brighten each person’s work day.  She contributed seasonal decorating of the work environment over her entire career there.

Subsequent to her second career, Vista returned to volunteer at Wake Forest Medical Center at Medical Plaza from June, 2019 through February, 2020, accumulating over 278 volunteer hours.  Volunteer Services asks only for a 4 hour weekly commitment.  Vista enjoyed meeting, greeting, and walking patients and guests to their destinations so much that she volunteered two to three shifts each week. She knew how much her volunteer role helped to enhance the patient and family centered care that was provided each day. She was forced to leave this volunteer position when Covid 19 closed all opportunities.

Vista was a lifelong member of Knollwood Baptist Church where she spread her love and gifts among the church members over many years.  Among her many volunteer contributions to Knollwood was singing in the choir and annually organizing and cooking for a church wide Agape meal.  Additionally, she volunteered at the Soup Kitchen in Winston-Salem each Thanksgiving and Christmas for many years.  Vista’s heart was full when she was helping others.

Along with her parents, she is preceded in death by her two brothers, Abner Clyde Harrington, Jr, and Daniel Allwyn Harrington, Sr. and her sister Bessie Nelle Harrington Nelson.  She is survived by her sister, Violet Harrington Fowler, the eldest of the five siblings; her eight nieces and nephews: Beverly Fowler Mitchell of Apex, N.C.; Michael Ross Harrington of Locust Grove, GA;  Daniel Allwyn Harrington, Jr. of Pawley’s Island, SC;  Carol Harrington Calhoun of Locust Grove, GA; Debra Harrington DeHaven of Charlottsville, VA; Gary E. Nelson of Jacksonville, Fla; Jeffrey Bryan Fowler of Winston-Salem, NC and Bradford C. Nelson, of Vero Beach, Florida.

A celebration of life service will be held at a later time in the Spring of 2021. Vista will be sorely missed by her extended family and the many people in her work and church life who loved her.  If you would like to honor Miss Harrington with a memorial, please make a contribution to Knollwood Baptist Church, Music Ministry program, 330 Knollwood Street, Winston-Salem, N. C. 27104.