Faithful servant of The Lord and mother of thirteen children
Mrs. Anne Meredith Vogel, 92, died on December 2, 2012, in her Mendham home. Mrs. Vogel will be remembered for her deep commitment to her family and friends, her unwavering faith in God and her ability to see only the goodness in people. Mrs. Vogel was born to Elizabeth Ellen Casey Beardsworth and Major William Henry Beardsworth in Clifton Forge, VA, on March 27, 1920 and was the sixth child of a deeply religious Roman Catholic family. Her father was a published musician and Director of Greenbrier Military Academy in Lewisburg, WV. His works included the “The Fighting Cadets,” and “Bungalow Built for Two”.
Friends and family will remember Anne as a gifted storyteller who quoted poetry, a talented seamstress, a gourmet baker and cook and an avid reader. She was known for her warm laughter, whimsical songs, prayers, deep love, endless support, hope, faith and joy. She graduated from Saint Francis Elementary School of Staunton, VA in 1935 and White Sulphur Springs High School in WV in 1939. She attended Saint Mary’s Nursing School in Huntington, WV. From December 1941 to July 1943, Mrs. Vogel was employed in a technical capacity at Sperry’s Gyroscope in Brooklyn, NY. Amid white roses and lilies of the valley, she was married to John J. Vogel on Oct. 4, 1943 at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church in New York City by Reverend Brandon McConnell. The reception was held at The Concourse Plaza Hotel in New York City.
She and her husband, a Rocket Scientist, traveled the country with their family. From 1946 to 1950, they resided in Charlottesville, VA. From 1950 to 1956, they lived in Lenexa, KS, from 1956 to 1959, in Herrin IL, and then lived in Clearfield, UT before moving to Brookside, New Jersey in 1962. There she settled with her husband and thirteen children. Her overwhelming devotion to her family, faith and children was evident as she cared for her developmentally disabled daughter, Sandra, for over 60 years in her home. She was an active parishioner at Saint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Mendham, a volunteer with the Fresh Air Fund where she hosted children during the summer months in her home, a Girl Scout leader and active in local charities.
She was predeceased by her husband of 67 years, John J. Vogel in 2011, and two daughters, Donna Louise Quintana, in 1998, of Ewa Beach, HI and Carol Anne Floeting of Airmont, NY and Boca Raton, FL, in 2011. She is also predeceased by all ten of her siblings; William Henry Beardsworth, Regina Maria Whitehead, Marion Frances Shields, Elizabeth Rosemary Shumate, Richard Casey Beardsworth, Margarita Patricia Makos, Jean Ellis Hummer, Dorothy Dwen Martin, Thomas McGowan Beardsworth and Charles James Beardsworth.
She is survived by ten children: John Joseph II of Whippany, Suzy Rita Siegel of Scottsdale, AZ, Sandra of Clinton, Steve of Frenchtown, Mark of Anthem, AZ, Maria Vogel-Short of Lake Hopatcong, Paul of Mount Tabor, Fred of Stillwater, Janice Pepper of Livingston, Thalia Demott of Anthem, AZ, and Sharon Esslinger of Long Pond, PA; twenty-four grandchildren; Meredith Anne Floeting Dyson, Kelly Siegel Logue, Alli Milar Floeting, Edward R. Mekeel III, Christopher Ruxton Floeting, Daniel Hayden Mekeel, Brent Quintana, John Joseph Vogel III, Krista Chinchyus, Paul Gorman, Sean Harrison Mekeel, Valerie Quintana, Laura Vogel Urrea, Victoria Vogel, Kimberly Siegel, Thomas Demott, December Esslinger, Alyssa Pepper, Michael Pepper, Francis Thomas Short IV, Jordan Demott, Jakub Vogel and Benjamin Franklin Patrik Vogel; seven great-grandchildren; Caroline, Derick, Matthew, Ryan, Dylan, Mason and Katelyn Suzanne.
Friends may visit at Davis and Hepplewhite Funeral Home, 96 Main Street, Succasunna, NJ (973) 584-7264, davishepplewhitefh.com , on Friday, December 7th from 6:00-8:00 PM. The Funeral Liturgy will be held on Saturday, December 8th at 9:45 AM, (The Feast of the Immaculate Conception), Saint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, Mendham, NJ. The interment will follow at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery on Quaker Church Road, Randolph, NJ.