Jill Bardwell Adelman

Jill Bardwell Adelman died peacefully on August 24, 2023, at age 102, in Redding, Connecticut.

Jill served as a wireless operator in the Women’s Royal English Navy, known as the WRENS, during World War II.

Jill was born on July 24, 1921 in East Sussex, England, to Ernest and Ethel Bardwell. Her father was the head gardener on an Estate in England Called “Riverhall.” She is descended from Sir William de Bardwell, 1367 to 1434. He was a standard bearer to King Henry the 5th, at the battle of Agincourt in 1415.

In September of 1944, she met an Army Air Corp flier named Stanley Adelman. He proposed marriage on their first night together. After just a few nights together, his squadron was shipped to France. He returned to England in April of 1945 on “flak leave.” They had a few additional nights together and Jill agreed to marry Stan. They were married on June 22, 1945. They celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in 2020.

In November of 1945, when Stan was discharged from active service, Jill immigrated to the United States. She arrived on a Pan American Airlines flight to New York City. Stan and Jill took up residence in the Bronx.

Jill worked at Harper’s Bazaar Magazine. Stan attended New York University and drove a cab.

Stan was recalled to active duty in the air force in 1950. Their daughter Diana was born on an air force base in Enid, Oklahoma on November 29, 1950. Their son Robert was born on an Air Force base in Tucson, Arizona on December 24, 1952.

Stan left the air force in 1953 and became a pilot for American Airlines.

Stan and Jill moved their family frequently. They moved to their favorite home, a house on the Long Island Sound in Westport, Connecticut in 1968. At that beautiful home, Jill became well-known for the beautiful gardens she created. She wrote about “Gardening by the Sea” for various publications, including the New York Times.

After Stan retired, Stan and Jill spent their time sailing. They owned a series of beautiful sailboats which they sailed from their home in Westport to Florida and the Caribbean each winter. They continued to sail into their 80’s.

Jill’s beloved husband Stan died almost three years before her, on September 16, 2020. Jill is survived by her daughter Dinny Jensen; son Bob Adelman and his wife Merril; 4 grandchildren, Jill Qualters, Joanna Jensen, Michael Adelman and Dylan Adelman; and five great grandchildren, Kate and Connor Qualters, Wren and Rowan Donovan, and Simon Adelman.

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