Jennifer Perkins

Jennifer (Jen and Jenny to some) peacefully passed away, in her sleep, in the late evening of Saturday, January 20, 2024. She was 67 years old and a beloved mother & daughter, wife & grandmother, niece & aunt, sister & cousin. While some might say that Jennifer was stricken down in the prime of her life (at age 24 in the first year of her marriage) by MS (remitting/relapsing multiple sclerosis), Jennifer never asked ‘why me?’. “Why me, why not me?”. She accepted her challenges with dignity, a smile, faith & courage; she lived her life to the fullest, as she could, while devoted to her family. Her faith, perseverance, courage, sense of humor, and love for all, truly embody who she was. In the end it can be said that she lived and embraced each day she was given, to the fullest, reveling in each moment, always ready with a big smile and a twinkle in her eyes. Jennifer's home for the last 18 years of her life were nursing homes in Cheshire, Chester, and Old Saybrook. For the last year of her life she was also supported by a team of Hospice professionals from Vistas Healthcare in Middlebury, CT. Jennifer Jane Wood was born in Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda MD, on Oct 2, 1956. She was the oldest daughter of Jane Louise Barber Wood and the Rev. Dr. Frederic C. Wood Jr. Jennifer always had a clever and creative flare. From an early age Jennifer was passionate about fashion, art, and music. She loved to sing, play the piano, draw, and was a captivating teller of stories with a vivid imagination that she brought to life. She attended public and independent schools in Englewood NJ, Ithaca NY, Poughkeepsie NY, Miami FL, and Philadelphia PA before graduating from the Poughkeepsie Day School in 1975. Jennifer is mourned and cherished by her mother Jane Barber Smith, longtime resident of Poughkeepsie NY. She is also mourned by her sisters: Elizabeth Wood (daughter Kayla Miroff-Wood, and husband George Burguiere) of Fishkill NY; Barbara Wood (and sons Julian and Josiah Wood) of Poughkeepsie NY; and her sisters, the daughters of Jane’s second husband the Rev. Dr. Duane W. Smith, Cathy Tedford of Canton NY, Carrie Whalen (and children Nathan and Caleb Campbell, and Eve Whalen) of Colton NY, and Jean Cunningham (and husband Wayne Cunningham) of Wayland MA, and their families. After high school, Jennifer went on to follow her passions in fashion and art earning a degree in fashion design from Bennett College in Millbrook NY (1977). She went on to continue her studies in fashion design at New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, NY. She also earned a certificate from Krissler Business Institute in Poughkeepsie NY (1979) where she delighted in mastering the art of ‘shorthand’. In the summer of 1979, Jennifer got her first job at Incarnation Camp and Conference Center, in Ivoryton CT. It was there at camp that she met Merrill Perkins of Old Saybrook CT. It was love at first sight, and it was clear that Jennifer and Merrill were soul mates. Jennifer and Merrill were married May 17, 1980, in Monroe CT, where they settled as newlyweds. Jennifer and Merrill both delighted in music and volunteered at their church and at the local Radio station WMNR where Jennifer had a classical music radio show. Jennifer and Merrill later settled in Westbrook CT where they raised their children, John and Sarah Perkins. The family were members of Grace Episcopal Church, Old Saybrook CT. In addition to her parents' several moves when she was young, Jennifer was well-traveled, counting her grandparent's house in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and summers at her parents' cottage in Long Lake, NY, as places visited as a youngster and teenager. Before her multiple sclerosis became too advanced, with her husband and children she had visited all of the Lower 48 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces, and a trip in 1994 to England and Germany. Jennifer is survived by her husband Merrill Perkins of Ivoryton CT, her daughter Sarah Elaine Perkins, her son John Frederic Perkins, his wife Jennifer (nee Samsel), and their 2 year old son Wesley, all of Chattanooga TN. Jennifer is also survived by her Aunts and Uncles (Donald Barber of Dallas TX, Meredith and Marco Einaudi of Palo Alto CA, Nancy Jacobson of Port Washington NY, Jerold Jacobson of Ghent NY) and 11 cousins. She is predeceased by her father the Rev. Dr. Frederic Conger Wood Jr., her stepfather the Rev. Dr. Duane Warner Smith, her aunt and uncle Edward Roberts and Louise Peck Wood, another aunt, Gretchen Barber (wife of Donald), and her cousins Edward (Ned) Wood and Andrew Barber. Jennifer’s family is grateful for the many nursing home staff at Chesterfields and more recently Gladeview, as well as the Vitas Hospice teams, faithful members of Grace Episcopal church, and others in the community who have so lovingly cared for Jennifer, for so many years, as she became less and less independent and unable to “do for herself.” Jennifer loved her visitors and especially loved to have books read to her, listen to music, have her nails and hair done, adorn herself with favorite jewelry, watch the birds in the feeder, and visit with her mother or husband. She only recently gave up playing a mean game of Bingo. Those who wish to make a contribution in Jennifer’s memory might do so to Vitas Hospice or to the National M.S. Society. A memorial service to celebrate Jennifer’s life is planned tentatively in the Spring following Easter, at Grace Episcopal Church, Old Saybrook CT. Her remains will be interred at the columbarium of Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie NY. Arrangements are under the direction of the Robinson, Wright, and Weymer Funeral Home, Centerbrook CT.