Bethany Ann Tomala

Bethany Ann Tomala, 40, wife of Kevin John Harrigan, died April 19, 2019 from injuries sustained in a fall at her home in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Beth grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey and graduated from RHS. She received her BS in International Business from the College of New Jersey and her MBA from Durham University in England. After college Bethany joined the Peace Corps and served in Kenya 2001-2003.. When she returned home Beth & Kevin moved to Washington, DC where she worked for Abt Associates, a research, consulting and technical assistance firm based in Bethseda, MD. As part of her work Beth traveled throughout the world helping to manage various international health projects. In 2016 Beth and Kevin moved to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania where she was Deputy Chief of Party Operations Manager for Tanzania PS3, a project with USAid.

When she wasn’t traveling for work she was traveling for pleasure with her husband, Kevin, or her friends. Her love of travel started in high school when she went to Russia. In college it was summers in Spain, then Northern Europe and then Central America. She chose to go to Kenya when she joined the Peace Corps. It is there that she grew to love Africa, so much so that she and Kevin went to South Africa for their honeymoon. Beth has visited over 66 countries and most of the states. The only continent she hadn’t yet visited was Antarctica. There was no place she didn’t want to visit and was always ready for an adventure.

She is survived by her husband of 12½ years, Kevin John Harrigan of Tanzania and Washington, DC, her parents Dennis & Nancy Tomala of Ridgewood, NJ, her brother Matthew Tomala & his wife Andrea and her nephews Chase & Ben of Broadway, NC and her Godparents Susan Bosco of Jackson, TN and Joseph Tomala of Sedona, AZ . She is also survived by her in-laws Joan & John Harrigan of Wyckoff, NJ, brother-in-law Keith & his wife Christine Harrigan of Ridgewood, NJ and sister-in-law Jennifer & her husband Vince Welcome and niece Avery and nephew Gavin of Ridgewood, NJ and by aunts, uncles, cousins from all sides of the family and by friends from around the world.

She is preceded in death by her maternal grandparents Helen & Louis Bosco and by her paternal grandparents, Cecelia & Joseph Tomala and cousin, Andrea Bosco.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Monday June 3rd at 10:30 am at Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Church, Ridgewood.
A Memorial Gathering will be held on Sunday June 2nd from 4:00 - 8:00 pm at Feeney Funeral Home, 232 Franklin Ave., Ridgewood.
In lieu of flowers donations in Bethany’s memory can be made to
FINCA, PO Box 98048, Washington, DC 20090-8048 www.FINCA.org/give
It is a charity that gives small business loans to impoverished woman to start small businesses to improve their lives and those of their children, or to Catholic Relief Services, 228 West Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21201-3443 www.crs.org. For more information please visit FeeneyFuneralHome.com