James (Jim) Joseph Garrahan

james (jim) garrahan
James (Jim) Joseph Garrahan, 87, of Hamden, husband of the late Henrietta Struzek Garrahan, passed away peacefully on August 24, 2009. Jim was born in Stamford on June 30, 1922 to the late Hugh and Anna Ford Garahan. He was a veteran of WWII, having served in the Army Air Force 381st division as a member of the Eagle crew (http://www.381st.org). He recently received a public service award from the Secretary of Connecticut for his patriotism and service during WWII. Jim worked as an accountant for the federal government. After retiring, he served as a councilman in Hamden for two terms, representing the 7th district. Jim had a passion for golf and was active in veteran affairs and the Knights of Columbus. Jim is survived by his two children, James Garrahan and his wife Bhasini of Chatham, NJ and Anne Garrahan of Hamden; nieces and nephews, Karen, Robin, Linda, Martha, and Michael. Funeral from BEECHER & BENNETT, 2300 Whitney Ave., Hamden on Thursday, August 27th at 9:30 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church at 10 a.m. Burial with Military Honors will take place in All Saints Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Wednesday evening (TODAY) from 6 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim's memory may be sent to the American Heart Association, 5 Brookside Dr., Wallingford, CT 06492.

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  1. Dear Anne, My heart goes out to you and your family. You have been the most devoted and loving daughter, and made every effort to provide the best possible care for your father. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

  2. Dear Anne, My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this sad time. You were a great daughter to your Dad. He is now at peace.

  3. Eulogy to Jim Garrahan (part 1 of 3) My uncle was from a generation where many children had nicknames. He was Sonny. And like many nicknames, his was grounded in truth. For a long time, he was the only son and he also had a smile that would light up a room. Sometimes when I visited Henrietta and Jim, they would take out the old pictures of Jim in uniform. He looked like a young Charles Lindberg. He was movie-star handsome, but he was also deeper than that. He was brave. He was modest, and he was forgiving. I do not know how he did it. How he put his dreams on hold, enlisted in the Air Force, and went off to war for years. Not for nothing was he part of the greatest generation. To a little girl, Jims and Henriettas wedding was like a fairy tale. Tall, handsome men escorted beautifully gowned princesses down the aisle. And the two were made for each other.

  4. Eulogy to Jim Garrahan (part 2 of 3) If you visited Jim and Henrietta, you always enjoyed delicious meals, discussed politics, watched TV, played heated card games, and heard Jims latest technique on putting. People knew that reading was like oxygen to Jim, but they also knew that golf was in his blood. I see the best of Jim in his two children, Anne and J. In them, I see his strong belief in God, his generosity, and his incredible kindness, because essentially Jim was a man who saw the glass as half full. When I was in college, he gave me his old Volkswagen Beatle. He said, Get in the car. Well drive around the block, and Ill teach you how to shift. In half a block, I had stalled out the car three times and jammed on the brakes so hard that we almost went through the windshield. Youre doing great, he said, Good job! Whether bringing up his children, working with his colleagues, or teaching his niece to drive, he understood that encouragement was the fuel of success.

  5. Eulogy to Jim Garrahan (part 3 of 3) I know what his Irish relatives would say today, they would say, Jimmy, my boy, twas grand knowing you. They know what we know we are going to see him again, somewhere on the back nine, with the people we love. And he will smile at us. And his smile will light up the darkness. Dad, Uncle Jim, Jimmy, Sonny, we love you so. Rest in peace.


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