Longtime Middletown resident, Jennifer Beardsley, passed away peacefully on Jan. 11 in Red Bank, surrounded by her four children.
“Jennifer will always be remembered for her kindness, beautiful smile, deep love of family, faith in God, and the way she faced life without complaint, always grateful for its beauty. It was rare for Jennifer to be without a smile, and she had a contagious laugh. Once she started laughing, everyone around her would be laughing, crying, and unable to stop. When her husband, Jimmy, tried to get her to settle down, it only made her laugh more.
Loved ones of Jennifer Beardsley in her obituary
“Jennifer lived most of her life in Middletown, where she built a home filled with love, art, and quite a variety of animals. She built that life alongside the love of her life and husband of 50 years, Jimmy Beardsley. She often said that as a child she wished on a star to marry Jimmy Beardsley and not grow too tall so she could always ride ponies, both of which happily came true!
“She absolutely loved riding horses. From spending her childhood days with her pony, Misty, to her newlywed days galloping through the fields of Red Creek, NY, and then into motherhood exploring the trails of Middletown. One of her greatest adventures was riding the Connemara Trail Ride in Ireland with close friends.
“Jennifer was also an artist at heart, creating vibrant paintings of nature and animals that reflected the beauty she saw in life. Even as her multiple sclerosis and dementia progressed, she never stopped painting.
“Nothing brought Jennifer greater joy than being a loving wife to Jimmy, a devoted mother to her four children, caring for her many animals, and later in life being Grandma.”
She was predeceased by: her beloved husband, James Beardsley; her parents, Robert C. Stanley and Nancy Knothe McDannold; her brother, Philip Stanley; her sister-in-law and best friend, Elizabeth “Buffy” Havard; and her nephews, Chester and William Griswold.
She is survived by: four children, Seth Beardsley (Heather), Kara Carcaterra (Steve), Philippa Beardsley, and Rebecca Witherow (Chuck); four grandchildren, Kendall, Ashley, James, and Jack; her brother, Robert Stanley (Saskia); her sister, Kate Griswold (Brehon); her nieces and nephew, Kitty, Emily, Chloe, and Luc; and her devoted caretaker and friend, Jackie Henderson.
A memorial service to celebrate Jennifer’s life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jennifer’s memory to the SPUR program at spuronline.org.
— Edited obituary prepared by family via Thompson Memorial Home
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