Jennifer “Jenna” Hardy Speer, 92, of Phoenix, Arizona, passed away peacefully on December 16, 2023, in Brunswick, Maine. She was born on April 3rd, 1931, in Englewood, New Jersey, to Anton G. and Pauline D. Hardy. She grew up in Manchester, Vermont with her three siblings (Tony, Pauline, and Peter) during World War II at their family home of Glebelands. In these formative years, she learned to love gardening, preserving, and cooking, skills she continued throughout her life. She attended Dana Hall boarding school, Wells College, and started a PhD at Brandeis University that she decided to leave to be a stay-at-home mother. She worked in a medical research laboratory directed by Dr. William S. Beck where she was a co-author on four peer-reviewed publications. She married Collie W. Speer in 1968 and they moved to Phoenix in 1974 where they raised two children, Charles “Chuck” and James “Jim”. Jenna was a loving and generous person who always supported her family and friends. She always had a family dog, and her final companion, Duke was with her to the end. She had a passion for gardening, cooking, music, camping, and traveling. A favorite family tradition was to have drinks (with either the family drink of a dry gin martini or a Moscow mule) and canapés on the weekends, which she continued with her family until a few weeks ago. She visited many places around the world and had friends from every place that she visited. She maintained long-term friendships with her college and research friends from around the world. She found God in her work in the garden and in nature. She was a courageous and resilient woman who faced challenges in her life with grace and optimism. She was a role model and a mentor to many and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Jenna is survived by her children, Chuck and Jim; her daughters-in-law, Sue and Karla; her grandchildren, Jackson, Leif, and Lewis; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Collie; her siblings, Tony, Peter, and Pauline; parents, Anton G. Hardy and Pauline D. Hardy; and her grandparents, Peter Duree and Pauline C. Duree on her mother’s side and George E. Hardy and Myrtie W. Hardy on her father’s side.

A memorial service will be held in the summer of 2024 in Manchester, Vermont with burial at Dellwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to your local humane society in Jenna’s name.

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