Johanna Schenk Studdiford

Johanna Schenk Studdiford, age 74 years, of Point Pleasant, NJ, died on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, NJ.

Born in Flemington, NJ, on January 10, 1936, Mrs. Studdiford was the daughter of the late John Foran Schenk and Elizabeth Stryker Schenk. She had resided in Point Pleasant since 2005, having formerly lived in Bay Head, NJ from 1965-2005.

Mrs. Studdiford attended Syracuse University, then went on to receive her Teaching Certificate from Georgian Court College. She was a special education teacher for more than thirty years at Nellie Bennett Elementary School in Point Pleasant, NJ. A dedicated teacher whose former students kept in touch with her throughout the years, she was known for helping her students pursue creative writing projects, which frequently were published in local newspapers.

An avid knitter, Mrs. Studdiford also loved antique dolls, gardening, travel, early American furniture, and sailing at the Bay Head Yacht Club. She was formerly Secretary of the Flemington Children’s Choir School, President of the Bay Head School Board of Education, a member of the New Jersey Education Association, and was instrumental in creating a youth soccer program in Bay Head. In addition, Joey and her dog, Dimitri, volunteered many hours with the pet therapy program at Ocean Medical Center.

Surviving are a son, Andrew (Andy) Douglass Studdiford, II, of Lambertville, NJ: a daughter, Elizabeth (Betsy) Studdiford Hardiman of Redondo Beach, CA; a sister, Betsy Trapp of Bay Head, NJ; a brother, John F. H. Schenk, of Colorado Springs, CO; two grandchildren, Tessa Elizabeth Hardiman and Natalie Claire Hardiman, both of Redondo Beach, NJ; and her beloved chihuahua, Dimitri.

Her husband of 45 years, William Emery Studdiford, III, died in 2001, and her sister, Ellie Kurth, died in 1997.

A public Memorial Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church in Bay Head, NJ, on Saturday, September 25 at 10:00 a.m. Private family graveside services in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Flemington, NJ, are under the direction of the Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home. Please visit www.holcombefisher.com for further information or to send condolences.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Save Barnegat Bay, 906-B Grand Central Avenue, Lavallette, NJ 08735, www.savebarnegatbay.org.