Remembering those who have contributed to the Waterford community.
Jill Beach
Jill Beach, Waterford resident and longtime Waterford Foundation supporter, died on March 22, 2025. Jill served on the Board of the Waterford Foundation from 1981 to 1988. Together with her late husband Mark, she was a strong advocate for preservation, supporting the Foundation in the maintenance and preservation of the Schooley Mill Barn and meadow. She was a strong supporter of the Waterford Concert Series and the campaign to build the new Old School Auditorium following the 2007 fire. Jill was also a strong supporter of the Waterford Fair. She opened her home The Dormers on Second Street for the Waterford Fair Homes Tour several times. Together with friend and neighbor Susanne Page, Jill started the Waterford Fair Photography Exhibit and ran the Exhibit for many years. Fellow Photography Exhibit co-chair Schuyler Richardson remembers Jill’s contributions to the Exhibit:
I was the worrier and Jill was always the cool and calm one. I worried about finding the judges; would we have enough entries or too many photographs etc. Jill would always say, “You don’t have to worry, everything always works out.” And it did, until the weekend of the hurricane. We had joined forces with The Fine Arts Show and were located in the Schooley Mill Barn. The show was hung beautifully, but then it started to rain, pour and blow. Jill and I ran to the barn and moved all the photos to her house. That was the year the Fair was cancelled. I am happy to say all the photographs survived.
One of Jill’s superpowers was having such a great “eye” for hanging the show. We would start with a multitude of photographs in numerous categories and Jill could figure out the perfect location for each one. It looked so effortless, but it took a real talent to hang the show. She was so great at it that the Loudoun Photo Club asked her to hang one of their shows.
Kathleen Elder
Kathleen Elder, former Waterford Foundation Board member, died on May 21, 2024 at home with her family. Kathleen served on the Board of the Foundation from 2015-2016 and also served as chair of the Land Use Committee. She was a fierce advocate for historic preservation and conservation in the Waterford community, and she supported the concept of preserving and celebrating the Foundation’s 13 historic properties through adaptive reuse.
Funeral services for Kathleen will be held at St. James Episcopal Church in Leesburg at 11:00am on June 8, 2024 with a reception to follow at the Waterford Old School. To honor Kathleen’s love of books, the family requests that those attending the reception bring a book to exchange with others.
Read more about Kathleen in her obituary here from the Loudoun Times-Mirror.
Susanne Page
Susanne Page, photographer and Waterford resident, died on May 13, 2024 following a brief illness. A celebrated photographer of indigenous people, Susanne brought her experience and love for photography to the Waterford community when she and fellow resident Jill Beach started the Waterford Fair Photography Exhibit. Together they ran the Exhibit for many years.
As Schuyler Richardson, fellow photographer and Exhibit volunteer remembers:
“during one of the last Fair photography shows, I was upstairs in the Red Barn, reviewing the many details of the show and feeling rather nervous. I looked up and standing quietly in the doorway was Susanne ready and willing to help. Never have I felt so relieved and happy to see anyone. She was just so kind and so thoughtful. … She and Jill were the heart of the exhibit and they loved every minute. I was lucky to have met Susanne and to call her friend. She was a lovely, brilliant, caring person and we shall all miss her.”
Read more about Susanne’s life and career as a photographer in her obituary from the New York Times.