Barbara Shepley Beard King of Stamford, Connecticut, passed away on December 30, 2022. Born on July 6, 1927, she was the daughter of the late John and Elizabeth Beard of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For the first six years of her life, she lived with her parents and brother John Beard, Jr. of Charlottesville, Virginia, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She raised two daughters, Muffy King Fox and Boo King Huth both of Riverside, Connecticut. She is survived by her son-in-law Andy Fox, and seven grandchildren and their spouses: Peter (Tayler) Fox, Carter (Carrie) Fox, Jack (Morgan) Fox, Halsey Huth, Abby H. (Peter) Donohue, Phebe Huth, and Brecky Huth. Her son-in-law Henry C. Huth, Jr. predeceased her in August 2022.
Barbara graduated from Rogers Hall in Lowell, Massachusetts. She received degrees from Bradford Junior College in 1948 and Northwestern University in 1950 where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Following Northwestern, Barbara came to New York and worked as a copywriter for the advertising firm Batton, Barton, Durstine, and Osborn. Barbara met William “Bill” A. King at P.J. Clarke’s in New York and married the love of her life at Christ’s Church in Rye, New York, in 1953. After they were married, she changed careers and became a teacher at the Brearley School for two years in New York. Soon after, they moved to Riverside, Connecticut. They were married for 67 years. He preceded her in death in 2020. Barbara and Bill were members of the Riverside Yacht Club, where Bill was a commodore for three years.
She was a trustee of Bradford College from 1985-1997, after many years as the quintessential Bradford volunteer. She served as a class agent, class correspondent, reunion chair, leadership council member, alumni association board member, and member of the annual fund executive committee. She was awarded the Jean Pond Medallion in 1993 and the Jane Cooke Runyan Award in 1998 for her service to Bradford. She was on the membership board of the Greenwich Chapter of the American Red Cross and St. Paul’s Church Day School. Other civic involvement included many roles at Greenwich Hospital, where she was a member of the cancer/hospice team from the early 1990s to 2015. She was chairman of volunteers at the Bendheim Cancer Center and secretary of the Greenwich Hospital Auxiliary. She served on the Ethics Committee from 2000-2022. Her dedication to the work of the Junior League of Greenwich was extensive. She helped launch the pre-kindergarten project at Hamilton Avenue School and Childcare 2000, which is now known as the Children’s Day School. She was co-chairman of the Greenwich Cotillion for two years. Barbara was the recipient of the Phyllis Finn Mentor Award in 1999, and the Betty Hinckley Award in 2004. She received the YWCA Spirit of Greenwich Award in 2009.
Barbara loved teaching kindergarten at Greenwich Country Day School for eighteen years and enjoyed keeping up with former students and their families. She stayed active at Country Day long after her retirement through her involvement with the grandparents’ committee.
Above all, Barbara was a thoughtful and empathetic friend. She cared deeply about others and never forgot a name or a birthday. She could tell you something about everyone with whom she came into contact no matter how briefly. She was a terrific listener and her thank you notes were legendary. Cranes & Co. has lost a valuable customer!
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her name to the Children’s Day School scholarship fund, c/o Sal Bottone, 8 Riverside Avenue, Riverside, CT 06878. The family will celebrate her life in the early summer.
