Hannigan, Jason Paul
Jason Paul Hannigan, of West Hartford, died by suicide Wednesday after a decades long battle against depression. He was 49. He will be remembered for his incredible capacity for love and his willingness to give his time and effort to anybody who needed it.
Jason loved and is loved by his wife, Mary Painter, his children Owen and Jojo; by his mother Yvonne (Durivage) Tafuto, step-father Louis Tafuto, father Peter Hannigan, step-mother Diane (Foster) Hannigan; by his brother Jamie Tafuto and his sister-in-law Lauren
(Stabile) Tafuto, his brother Ryan Hannigan; and by his nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and countless friends, who referred to him, always, as Hannigan; and of course his beloved dogs, Rocky and Monty.
Jason was born on February 10, 1973, in Hartford. He graduated from Conard High School in 1991 and the University of Connecticut in 1998 with a degree in Economics. But it was as a personal trainer that he found his professional calling. Prior to the onset of the pandemic, Jason was working regularly to help people maintain their physical fitness, though, he once made the mistake of trying to serve as personal trainer for his wife. The results were predictable and comedic. The pandemic, however, created a void in his professional life and that void was filled by his disease. Those
who knew Jason, know that he fought every day to remain alive and tried every treatment and therapy in an effort to feel better. His condition, however, is not understood well enough by medical science.
More than anything, Jason lived for his family. He loved
the book “tuesdays with Morrie,” in which he highlighted his favorite passage where Morrie says, “The fact is, there is no foundation, no secure ground, upon which people may stand today if it isn't in the family. It's become quite clear to me as I've been sick. If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all. Love is so supremely important. As our great poet Auden said, ‘Love each other or perish.'”
Jason had so much love, both in his life, and within himself.
During the long stretches when he was healthy, Jason would bring vegetarian chili to a friend's pregnant wife, befriend folks struggling with sobriety, or deliver gym equipment to a family with a disabled child searching for ways to engage her during the pandemic. He would donate his time on Thanksgiving to food pantries, dropping turkeys off all over West Hartford. He would offer suggestions to gym teachers to help them modify their classes for students with disabilities. It's hard to count the number of young guys, and not so young guys that he helped to find a program of recovery, because
Jason was someone so many people in need loved and trusted. He was your man in the foxhole, the one who always had your back. The trust people had in him saved them.
All of these activities helped Jason become the people's
mayor of West Hartford. Those who accompanied him around town were in for a day where random people would stop to talk to Jason and trade stories about, books, coffee, high school football (does anyone else in town really know who the running back is for Shelton High School?) and of course, the Pittsburgh Steelers. A lucky few were treated to Jason's story about how, when he was flying unaccompanied on a plane, Lynn Swann, the greatest of all the Steelers' receivers, invited him to sit next to him in first class. A lifelong Steelers' fan was born.
The stories could continue for pages, but they will all
be a variation of the same theme. Jason Hannigan gave of himself until he no longer could. Jason cherished his sons Owen and Jojo and instilled in them the importance of being the best person you could be and
living life to the fullest. One of his favorite activities was telling stories and sharing the adventures and accomplishments of his children. His family and extended family meant the world to him. He will always be dad. We will miss him.
Calling hours will be Tuesday from 5 p.m. through 8 p.m. at Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Avenue, in West Hartford. A memorial service will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Rockledge Grille at 289 South Main Street, West Hartford.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks people to consider a donation to The American Society for Suicide Prevention (https//afsp.org) or The West Hartford Food Pantry through the Town That Cares 50 South Main Street, West Hartford, CT. Online expressions of sympathy may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com