Julie Marie Harrington

Julie Marie Harrington
July 5, 1941 - December 9, 2023

Julie Best, 82, died peacefully at her home in Longboat Key, Fla. on Dec. 9, 2023. Surrounded by her watercolor paintings and with a clear view of the Gulf of Mexico, she was exactly where she wanted to be.

Julie spent most of her life as a resident of Des Moines, Iowa, where she attended St. Joseph Academy and Drake University. She was a member of St. Augustine’s Catholic Parrish and Questers among other organizations.

Des Moines is also where she married Tom Best, her husband of 43 years, and where they raised their three children.

A fixture in the community, Julie began her career as an elementary school art teacher and moved on to a life of entrepreneurship running several successful businesses with Tom, including the Nutshell Gift Shop, Carriage and Cricket and a local favorite, the Party Market.

Later in life, Julie and Tom moved to Florida, but she always considered Iowa home.

In her free time, she was a talented painter, who enjoyed travelling, antiquing, and spending time with friends and family. Considered by many a “Martha Stewart of the Midwest,” she loved to cook and entertain, and her skills in those areas were legendary.

Julie was a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend to everyone who knew her.

Caring, kind, artistic, genuine, funny, intelligent, and above all generous, she had a profound impact on the lives she touched and she will be deeply missed.

Caring, kind, artistic, genuine, funny, intelligent, and above all generous, she had a profound impact on the lives she touched and she will be deeply missed.

She leaves behind her children: Kevin Best of Des Moines, Keiran “Kerry” of Portland, Ore., Kate (Rob) Shaw of Des Moines; grandchildren, Gabe, Ruby and Leo Shaw, and Dylan Best; two brothers, Mike Harrington of Missouri and Tim Harrington of Florida; many cousins, and a list of life-long friends too numerous to mention.

Julie was preceded in death by her parents, Gerald and Elaine Harrington, her husband Tom, and, later in life, her partner Kenny Kyhl.

Friends and family are invited to attend a celebration of life Jan. 27, 2024, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Curate, 322 E. Court Ave., Des Moines.

Memorial Contributions may be made to St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des Moines, Anawim Housing in Des Moines, St. Mary Star of the Sea in Longboat Key, Fla., or the After School Art Program, asap-dsm.org.

CELEBRATION OF LIFE:
Saturday, January 27, 1PM
Curate
322 E. Court Ave., Des Moines