Harold Northington

Dr. Harold McCann Northington died March 18, 2008 following a brief illness. He was born on Sept. 5, 1919 in Wharton, to Frances McCann and George Heard Northington Jr. He was reared in Egypt.

Dr. Northington always had a chuckle in his voice when he referred to himself as a "Wharton native."

He graduated from Wharton High School in 1935. Dr. Northington attended Schreiner Institute in Kerrville for two years. He completed his bachelor of arts degree at the University of Texas and attended the University of Texas Medical School at Galveston.

After graduation from Medical school in 1942, Dr. Northington went to Officers Training School in Carlisle, Pa. He returned to Texas and completed his residency at Hermann Hospital in Houston.

In 1944, Dr. Northington served with the 104th Infantry Division in Belgium and Holland as captain in a mobile army surgical hospital. He was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

After the war he was stationed in San Francisco as a recruiter. Dr. Northington always joked that after the war there were not many recruits so he got pretty good at card games, a passion he had right up to his death.

Dr. Northington joined the new Outlar Blair Clinic in Wharton in 1946, and did postgraduate work in cardiology. He spent his career in Wharton as a general practitioner specializing in internal medicine.

He was a devoted doctor at Outlar Blair Clinic and truly one of the last "country doctors" who made house calls to sick patients. He was also chief of staff at Caney Valley Memorial Hospital for seven years.

Dr. Northington retired in 1984 after 39 years at Outlar Blair Clinic.

He was president and CEO of Northington Ranch Corporation, a rice farming operation with oil and gas holdings.

Dr. Northington was a member of the Texas Exes, Texas Medical Association, Wharton Lions Club, Wharton Country Club and First United Methodist Church of Wharton. In 1991, he also joined the Tejas Vaqueros, a group that upholds the western traditions of Texas through rodeos and trail rides.

Dr. Northington is preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Nina Lee Lane Northington; brother, George Heard Northington III; sister, Virginia Northington Mortensen; and daughter, Gay Northington Connelly.

Dr. Northington is survived by his children and their spouses; Mac and Carla Northington of Boerne, Tom and Kathy Northington of Kerrville, Ginger and Burt Hooton of San Antonio, Guy and Cindy Northington of Houston, and son-in-law Mike Connelly and wife Nancy also of Houston. He is survived by 12 grandchildren and spouses, Tom and Kristan Northington, Mona and Perry George, McCann and Margye Northington, David Northington, Gene Hooton, Lane Hooton, Will Northington, Wes Northington, Ginny Northington, Stacey Connelly, Patrick Connelly and Mac Connelly. He is also survived by eight great-grandchildren, Shelton and Mac Northington, Cody Lane, Guy Thomas and Shawn George, and Maggie, Madeline and Syble Northington.

Services were held Friday, March 21, 2008 at 11 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church. The Reverend Paul Quiggins officiated. Burial was in the Northington Family Cemetery in Egypt.

Pallbearers were Dr. Northington's 10 grandsons, Tom Northington, McCann Northington, Perry George, David Northington, Gene Hooton, Will Northington, Wes Northington, Stacey Connelly, Patrick Connelly and Mac Connelly.

Honorary pallbearers were Dr. Denton Cooley, Raymond Harrison Sr., Dr. Boy Hasskarl, Thurmon Clements, John Wynn, Joe Bruce Hancock, Bill Ansley, John Kramer, Larry Owens, Buddy Thompkins, Carl Reynolds Jr. and Kenneth Johse.

Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, 1717 Pioneer, Wharton, TX 77488; or the Wharton County Museum Association, P. O. Box 349, Wharton, TX 77488.