Obituary of James Michael Barrington

James Michael Barrington April 19, 1941 - June 2, 2018 Resident of Aptos James Michael Barrington passed away peacefully at his Aptos home after a long battle with cancer at the age of 77. Jim was born in Lihue on the island of Kauai in Hawaii to Robert Elmer Barrington & Mary Alice Cleary. His parents moved back to California just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He graduated from Junipero Serra High School in 1959 then went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in Business & Finance from San Jose State University and a Master's degree in Accounting from to UC Berkeley. During his college years he began working Arthur Anderson Accounting as an intern. He worked his way up to Senior Partner and retired in 1999. During his life he was a resident of San Carlos, Piedmont, Marin, Novato, Stinson Beach and Sausalito before settling at his homestead in Aptos in 2004. In 1969 Jim joined the US Marine Corps, like his father, and remained on active duty in the Reserves until 1971. During that time his father passed away and he stepped up to help his mother with his two youngest brothers who looked up to him as a father. He always tried helping people and make their lives easier, especially for his mother. He made sure his mother lived a happy, independent, financially stable life until her passing in 2014. Jim welcomed his son, Brian, into the world in 1973 and raised him mostly by himself. In 1995 he met the love of his life, Anne, on a blind date set up by her cousin. They spent over 22 wonderful years together and were married in 2011. Jim and his brothers had a passion for taking old Porsches apart and rebuilding and restoring them - a hobby that lasted him his whole life. He was an avid car collector and had 5 of the first Porsches ever made called, Gmund Coupes. He was known as the "Gmundmeister". He and his son raced many of their vintage cars. He participated in Monterey's "Car Week" every year and entered cars in the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Above all Jim loved his family and took absolute delight in having grandchildren. He had a tremendous love for dogs and cats, and was a "parent" to many pet "children". He enjoyed his cup of coffee on the porch and the Saturday mornings at the "Caffeine Cruisers" car show with his friends and fellow car enthusiasts. As often as he could, he would go over to the State Park, get some Rocky Road ice cream and watch the whales and dolphins. Jim is survived by his wife, Anne Young-Barrington; son, Brian (Jennifer) Barrington; stepson, Joseph Kochlacs; grandchildren, Brooklyn and Brody Barrington; sisters, Linda Barrington-Chiochios and Ann Barrington; brothers, Richard, Tom and Joseph Barrington; and five nieces and five nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Hospice of Santa Cruz County (www.hospicesantacruz.org); the Marine Corps League (www.mclnational.org); or the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org). A Memorial Mass will be held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 435 Monterey Ave., Capitola, CA 95010 on Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 11 AM.