Jean “Jeannie” Redpath Becton, of Concord, artist and silversmith who was known for her infectious laugh, her creativity and her generosity, died on Feb. 3 at the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln. At the end, she was surrounded by her loving family, including Henry Prentiss Becton, Jr, her husband of 54 years, and their three children, Sara Ardrey, Will Becton, and Eliza Becton.
Jeannie was born on May 7, 1944, in South Orange, N.J., the daughter of Robert Upjohn Redpath and Nancy Shaw Miller Redpath. Jeannie attended secondary school at Rosemary Hall School in Greenwich, Conn. She then studied silversmithing and sculpture at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School and earned a fine arts degree from Tufts University.
Jeannie and Henry met while living in Cambridge, later moving to Weston to raise their children and, still later, Concord.
She pursued her passion for silversmithing first at the deCordova Museum Studio. She and her colleagues eventually created their own studio at Motherbrook Arts and Community Center in Dedham. Jeannie specialized in making individual custom pieces to give to friends and family. Those lucky enough to have one of her silver creations testify that it would be the first thing they’d grab in the event of a house fire.
Jeannie and her family spent summers on the coast of Maine. Jeannie chaired the house committee for a local yacht club there and was famous for her delicious sauce bearnaise for 150 people at the club’s annual dinner. She helped start a weekly community dinner with cooking responsibilities shared by the club members which was a well-loved event. At the nearby country club, Jeannie also chaired the membership committee for several years.
Jeannie’s love for the Maine coast and the environment inspired her to encourage young people to consider pursuing environmental careers by funding two internships with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Blue Hill Heritage Trust.
She was a board member for many years of the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, focusing on supporting the island of Canna in the Hebrides and the preservation of its musical, photographic and literary collections, donated to the Trust by one of her relatives.
In addition to her husband, Henry, she is survived by her two daughters and their spouses: Sara and Guy, Eliza and Glen, her son Wilson, five grandchildren: Campbell, Hayden, Jamie, Summer and Tate, her brothers, Rob and Bill Redpath, as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. She is predeceased by her sister, Nancy Redpath.
The family is planning a memorial gathering later this spring/summer.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in her memory: to the Blue Hill Heritage Trust for their internship program, the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, PO Box 9207, Boston, MA 02114, and the Hematology Development Fund, Mass. General Hospital, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114-1100.
Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in Jeannie’s online guestbook, please visit www.DeeFuneralHome.com.
