Sheilah Harrington

Sheilah Rose Harrington, age 53, died on Friday October 30, 2020, at Agrace Hospice in Madison after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer.

Sheilah was born April 11, 1967, in Madison to Eugene C. Harrington and Rita K. Harrington (Luderus). She attended Blessed Sacrament School, and graduated from Edgewood High School in 1985. She attended UW-Madison and received her degree in 1990 with majors in Political Science and English and a certificate in Women’s Studies.

While working at Joiner Associates in the late 1980s, Sheilah met her future husband, Mike Roszkowski. They were married in November, 1992, and had two children: Emma and April Roszkowski.

Sheilah loved to learn and was never afraid to reinvent herself. She received a Masters of Library Science from UW-Madison in 1996 and worked at various academic libraries in Madison. Around 2007, she decided to switch careers and completed an associate degree in Web Programming/Analysis at Madison Area Technical College in 2012. She went on to work in Information Technology at several jobs at UW-Madison and the University of Wisconsin System.

Sheilah threw herself into everything she set her mind to, overlooking no detail when she was planning or organizing something. She took motherhood very seriously and loved her children dearly. Her love of learning led her to take a big role in her children’s education, and she was looking forward to seeing them both complete their education and begin their careers. She had a passion for liberal politics that persisted until her death, and began early with stints as a page in the State Capitol and as a worker for Russ Feingold when he was in the Wisconsin State Senate. Sheilah loved being out in nature and traveling, when she was able.

She is survived by her husband, Mike, and her two children, Emma and April, as well as five siblings: Moira Harrington (Brian Koenig), Tim Harrington, Dennis Harrington, Eileen Harrington, and Bridget Harrington (Graham Smith). She was preceded in death by her brother, Owen Harrington, and both of her parents.

There will be no memorial service, but there will be a private family burial at Natural Path Sanctuary in Verona.