Anne Witherspoon Beard died peacefully in her home on December 25, 2019 surrounded by family after a long battle with a rare form of Frontotemporal Dementia. She was born on September 1, 1952 to the late Henry Kollock Witherspoon, Jr. and Jane Winston Witherspoon in Jacksonville, Florida and was a member of the 1971 Jacksonville Debutante Coterie.
Anne graduated from Converse College in 1974 and attended Bartram School in Jacksonville. It was in her high school years where she met the love of her life, Franklin Russell Beard. They married in 1974 and together raised two wonderful sons, Russell and Cameron.
Anne was a Kindergarten teacher at St. Mark's Episcopal Day School for 20 years. She brought her classroom to life with special projects, including the marriage of her two Bearded Dragons. Anne ministered to youth through her teaching, high school students through Happening and to new mothers through the Mothers of Young Children Bible Study at St. Mark's Episcopal Church. She had the gift of connection and left a mark on many hearts.
In her spare time, she was active in the Junior League of Jacksonville, a member of the Wolfson Children's Hospital Women’s Board and volunteered for Community Hospice through their companion pet program. She loved painting, her many animals and tending to her gardens. She retired in 2000 from teaching to spend more time working on Happening and her Bible Study and ultimately to enjoy her grandchildren. An elegant and kind woman with a heart of gold, Anne will be dearly missed by her friends and family.
Anne is survived by her husband Franklin; sons Franklin Russell Beard, Jr. (Marcela) and Cameron Winston Beard; and her grandchildren, Franklin Russell Beard III, William Henry Beard and Virginia Sardi Beard. Known as "Giggie" to her grandchildren, Anne embraced her role as a grandmother with the same zeal she had for motherhood. She was the first witness to the births of each of her three grandchildren, booking flights to Dallas to be sure to arrive ahead of the event, and was always “on-duty” for school events, pick-ups and storytelling.
A special debt of gratitude is extended to Anne’s loving caregivers, Mellownease, Maria, Cykeria, Ellen and Barbara. Their love and attention to Anne helped keep her comfortable during her final months.
A funeral service to celebrate her life will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, January 3, 2020, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 4129 Oxford Avenue, followed by a reception in its Leatherbury Hall. A private burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church or the Humane Society of Jacksonville.
Hardage-Giddens Riverside Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 7242 Normandy Boulevard, is serving the family.
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