Elizabeth Harrigan Obituary

Elizabeth Harrigan CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - Elizabeth McPherson Ravenel Harrigan, born on May 6, 1928, in Charleston, South Carolina, died on Saturday, April 19, 2014, in Charlottesville, Virginia. She was the daughter of Mary Allen Boykin and Arthur Ravenel and married to Anthony Hart Harrigan for 59 years. She was the devoted mother of four children and grandmother to 11 grandchildren. In 1949, she graduated from the College of Charleston and taught at the Blue Ridge Mountain Mission School in Dyke, Virginia. She later obtained her graduate degree in Clinical Psychology from the Citadel and the University of Tennessee. While in Charleston, South Carolina, she joined the Junior League and was instrumental in establishing the league project known as Horizon House. She was also a founding member of the Carolina Assembly, the first woman President of the Gibbes Museum of Art, a member of the Ladies Benevolent Society, the Huguenot Society and a longtime member of St. Philip's Episcopal Church. In 1975, she moved to Sewanee, Tennessee, with her husband, Tony, who was the President of the United States Business Industrial Council and an Associate Editor of the Post and Courier. She edited and published a cookbook entitled Rose P. Ravenel's Charleston Recollections and Receipts, which chronicled the lives of her Charleston ancestors. Mrs. Harrigan also republished the 1861 Battle of Fort Sumter and First Southern Victory. Later Mrs. Harrigan and her husband moved to Washington, D.C. where she continued her work as a school psychologist. While living in Washington, she served on the board of the Society of Colonial Dames of America as a historian. She was a docent at Dumbarton House, the national headquarters of the Colonial Dames. She was also a member of the Anglican Parish of Christ the King. She and Tony retired in 2005 to Westminster Canterbury in Charlottesville, Virginia, to be closer to their family. They were active members of All Saints Anglican Church. They enjoyed the many friendships they established with the residents and staff of Westminster Canterbury. She and her husband continued to make frequent visits to their family home in Charleston, South Carolina. She was predeceased by her husband, Anthony H. Harrigan; her son-in-law, Dr. John S. Jenks III; and grandson, John S. Jenks IV. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Anthony H. Harrigan III and his wife, Chase, and their children, Hart, Eliza and Hutson, of Charleston, South Carolina; her daughter, Chardon Jenks and her children, Elizabeth J. Johnson and her husband, Russell, and Sarah B. Jenks of Keswick, Virginia; her son, Elliott M. Harrigan and wife, Terrell, and their daughters, True, Elise and Ravenel, of Richmond, Virginia; and her daughter, Mary H. Carr and her husband, Robert, and their children, Logan and Grace, of Tallahassee, Florida. Also surviving are her brother, Arthur Ravenel Jr. and his wife, Rick; her sister, Rosamond and her husband, Capt. Sandiford S. Bee; brother, Edward Ravenel and his wife, Patty; as well as many nieces and nephews in Charleston, South Carolina, and Wilmington, Delaware. She was also the "American Great-Grandmother" to the Rugumayo family. The family wishes to extend their deep thanks to the University of Virginia Medical Center Cardiac, Neurology and Palliative Care units for their compassionate care. There will be a memorial service held on Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. in St. Phillips Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Water Missions International, P.O. Box 31258, Charleston, SC 29417; All Saints Anglican Church, 3889 Ivy Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903; or Westminster Canterbury Foundation, 250 Pantops Mountain Road, Charlottesville, VA 22911. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston