Obituary

Edith Agnes (Dunn) Stanford
07/9/1926 – 03/03/2021

Edith Agnes (Dunn) Stanford, age 94, of Rancho Mission Viejo, CA entered her eternal rest on 3/3/2021. Edith was born on 7/9/1926 in Newark, NJ to Agnes (Beck) Dunn and Joseph Dunn, where she spent her early years growing up with her siblings, sisters Grace and Agnes and brothers Joseph and John. She graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, Newark, NJ in June of 1944.

Edith enjoyed many summers vacationing at the Jersey Shore where she met her future husband, Richard (Dick) Stanford.  Edith and Dick married in June of 1945 and moved to the shore a few years later where they raised their five children; sons Richard and Michael Stanford, and daughters, Edith (Stanford) Cacchione, Margaret (Stanford) Quillan and Mary Ann Stanford.  Edith and Dick were married for forty years before Dick passed away in 1985. Although heartbroken that the love of her life was gone way too soon, Edith found new interests, hobbies and friends. She loved walking the boardwalk along the beach early in the morning and also in the evening.  She would drive to the beach whenever there was a full moon so she could see the reflection on the water.  In 2009, Edith, with her youngest daughter, Mary Ann, moved to sunny, California, to live with daughter, Margaret and son-in-law, Ronald, where she met new friends and enjoyed life on the west coast.

Edith’s unconditional love for her family and friends is what she’s remembered for most.  She possessed the rare ability to be genuinely interested in “what you are doing”.   With a caring, thoughtful manner that came naturally to her, Edith lived with integrity, led by example, and loved with her whole heart.  She became a role model to all who knew her.  Living life to the fullest, she found time to enjoy daily moments, and faced any difficulty with a vibrant balance of fortitude, wisdom and humor.

She was a courageous, optimistic woman who lived her faith as God intended; by example.  She loved nothing more than being surrounded by family and friends; enjoying the holidays and special events that would bring everyone together.  We remember her as a wife, sister, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and a kind, warmhearted friend, but mostly just “MOM”.

Edith is predeceased by her parents, her husband, Dick, her sister, Grace Dunphy and her brothers John and Joseph Dunn.  She is survived by her sister, Agnes Smyth, sons, Richard Stanford and his wife, Linda, Michael Stanford, daughter, Edith and her husband, John Cacchione, daughter, Margaret and her husband, Ronald Quillan, daughter, Mary Ann Stanford, granddaughter, Edith May Feller, grandson, Tristan Stanford and his wife Lana, great granddaughters Marissa and Bridget Stanford, and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of her life will be held on Wednesday, March 31^st at 2:00 pm at O’Connor Mortuary, 25301 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Hills, CA 92653.