John David Hartigan, “Jack,” died peacefully on Oct. 15 at age 93. He was predeceased by Nancy, his wife of 43 years, and is survived by Peggy, his second wife of 27 years; four children; 10 grandchildren; and two great grandchildren. He lived with his family at 1 Eldredge Place in Rye from 1971 to 1998, and four of his children graduated from the Rye public schools. He and his wife Nancy were parishioners at Resurrection Church.
Jack was the son of Irish immigrants John Hartigan and Margaret Durcan. Born in Manhattan on Jan. 31, 1931, he was raised in the Bronx, where he attended parochial school and Fordham Preparatory School. He went on to attend St. John’s University, where he met his future wife Nancy Poole. When he finished his undergraduate degree, he attended Columbia Law School and graduated in 1953. Following his successful completion of the New York State Bar Exam, Jack enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was selected to enter the Counter Intelligence Corps and was scheduled to be deployed to Okinawa, Japan.
Jack married his first wife Nancy on May 8,1954, at St. Gregory’s Church in Manhattan. After a brief honeymoon, he left for Okinawa, where he spent a year in post-Korean War service. When he returned from Okinawa, he began a long career as a corporate lawyer and settled in Bayside, Queens, and later Rye, where he and Nancy raised a family of five children: John, Anne, Carol, Patti, and Tom.
Sadly, his oldest son John and his wife Nancy predeceased him by many years. After Nancy died, Jack married Margaret “Peggy” Burns and moved to Manhattan, where they resided for 10 years. They subsequently lived in Chevy Chase and Rockville, Md., as well as Dover, Del. In 2021, they moved to Charlottesville, Va., to be closer to family.
After Jack retired, he continued to serve pro bono as counsel for various causes and wrote articles that appeared in publications such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He remained sharp and intelligent until his final days and won his last case (against the Dover Zoning Board) on July 20, 2019 — at the age of 88. He read the news every day and could argue politics with anyone — if you let him.
He also remained active in the Catholic church and enjoyed studying the Bible and having theological discussions with his peers. He was an avid reader of mystery novels and loved Irish music, jazz, Broadway show tunes, and ’50s rhythm and blues. Jack had a quick wit and an excellent sense of humor and was referred to in his college yearbook as “the poor man’s Fred Allen” (a popular comedian of the day).
When he died, grandchildren traveled from California, Connecticut, Boston, North Carolina, and Florida to pay their respects. A Memorial Mass was held at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlottesville on Oct. 17. That night, a Hunter’s moon lit the skies over Charlottesville, a symbol of light and grace for a life well lived.
Jack will be buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York, next to his Nancy, his first wife. Donations may be made in his honor to LittleSistersofthePoor.org