In Memoriam: Longtime Rumsonite, Bunny Resley Harrison, 78

Longtime Rumsonite, Bonita “Bunny” Kay Resley Harrison, passed peacefully from glioblastoma, surrounded by family and friends, at her Rumson home on Sycamore Lane on May 30. She was 78.

“Bunny was a rare and wonderful combination: a beauty with impeccable taste and style; the kindest, most sensitive person imaginable; down to earth; always able, despite some daunting obstacles in her childhood, to see the silver lining; and fun and fun-loving.

“She made her way effortlessly and gracefully through places ranging from Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills to small-town Western Maryland and among people ranging from movie stars and corporate executives to gardeners, painters, and carpenters.

“Her daughter, Emily, was the centerpiece and crowning glory of her life. First and foremost, Bunny loved and selflessly cared for her family and friends. She also loved homemaking, gardening, flowers, and all living things, pets and wildlife alike.

“Bunny made the world a better place.”
Loved ones of Bunny Resley Harrison in her obituary

Born in Hagerstown, MD on April 3, 1948, Bunny was the daughter of Floyd Robert and Barbara Isabelle Jones Resley, both of whom predeceased her.

Bunny grew up in Mercersburg, PA. She graduated from South Hagerstown High School in 1966 and Allegany College’s first dental hygiene class in 1972.

As her husband Reed’s career took the family to new places, she made beautiful homes for Emily and Reed in Timonium, Cumberland, and Bethesda, MD, Andover, MA, Los Angeles, CA, and Clinton, Colts Neck, Holmdel, and Rumson in NJ.

Bunny is survived by: her cherished daughter, Emily Harrison, of Rumson; her loving husband of 53 years, Reed Harrison, of Rumson and Baltimore, MD; her sister, Barbara “Bobby” Canham and husband, Derek, of Devon, UK; niece, Holly Edwards and her father, Les Edwards, of Greencastle, PA; and her brother-in-law, Jeff Harrison, and his wife, Julie, and their family, of Ocoee, FL and Knoxville, TN; and Emily’s dearest friends, Erin DeWitt and Larry Schaefer.

A private funeral service with the immediate family will be held at Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank. The family requests that any remembrances be made as memorial donations in her name to the North Shore Animal League America, 25 Davis Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050, or at https://www.animalleague.org.

— Edited obituary prepared by family via Thompson Memorial Home