In the Friday Washington Post

In the Friday Washington Post, originally uploaded by marrngtn (Manuel).

DEATH NOTICE/OBITUARY FOR REV. JOHN HENRY ARRINGTON, JR.

Peacefully on Tuesday September 2, 2008, Rev. John Henry Arrington, Jr. of Newark, DE, passed from this life into spirit after a challenging battle with pneumonia at the Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC. Rev. Arrington was preceded in death by his second wife, Louise B. Wash-Arrington; his parents, John Henry Sr. and Mattie Rouche; his brother, Robert Lee Arrington; and sister, Mary Elizabeth Ellison.

Rev. Arrington served as a minister in the AME Zion Church for over 40 years, first as Assistant Pastor at Contee AME Zion Church NE Washington, DC; then as Pastor of Varick Memorial AME Zion Church–in NE Washington, DC and in Jacksonville, FL. In 1995, Rev. Arrington retired from the ministry, but accepted the role of Presiding Elder and Pastor Emeritus. He will be remembered for his dedication and service to his spiritual community, and his steadfast advocacy for education and empowerment.

Prior to entering the ministry in 1956, Rev. Arrington proudly served his country during WW II from Feb. 16, 1943 until he was honorably discharged on Feb. 7, 1946. In 1985 he retired from the Federal Protective Service with the rank of Captain after 34 years of federal service in Washington, DC.

Rev. Arrington is survived by his first wife, Mary Elizabeth (Bell) Arrington; six adult children - Mary Elizabeth Moore, John Henry Arrington III, Marvelle Alicia McIntyre-Hall, Zita Yolanda Johnson-Betts, Joel Malquis Arrington, Manuel Andre Arrington; step-daughter, Lisa Wash; and a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren, cousins and countless friends who were touched by his life.

Services will be held at noon, on Monday, September 22, 2008, at Varick Memorial AME Zion Church, 255 Anacostia Ave. NE, Washington, DC, and in Madison County, VA, in October 2008.

We ask that any expressions of sympathy be made in the form of donations. Tax deductible charitable contributions may be made to the Carson Scholars Fund, Inc., 305 W. Chesapeake Avenue, Suite L-020, Towson, MD 21204 with the name John Henry Arrington Jr. noted in the memo section of your check. These contributions will go towards a college scholarship for a deserving student in grades 4-6 at the River Terrace Elementary School in Washington, DC.

If you would like to support the administration of the family website Arrington.org, you may make a non-deductible gift directly on the website. We hope that all contributions either those to the Carson Scholars Fund or to the Arrington.org family website will be viewed as testaments to Rev. Arrington’s belief in family, the history of love he imparted to all who knew him, his indomitable spirit and his remarkable desire to see good done in this world.