Obituary of Winifred Nan McCaffery

Redding, CT-- Winifred Nan (Harvie) McCaffery, age 91, of Hilton Head Island, SC passed away Monday March 11, 2024 surrounded by loved ones in Redding, CT. “Winnie” is survived by her husband of 64 years, William McCaffery.

Born February 3, 1933, in Jersey City, NJ, to parents James and Ann (Davidson) Harvie, Winnie embarked on what would become the epitome of a life well lived. As a young mother, Winnie was a partner in a small catering business, and imbued in her children her love of skiing, swimming, and the outdoors.  Following an illustrious career with Johnson & Johnson, Winnie joined her husband, Bill, in extensive world travel. Together they gathered friends and memories, living in Taiwan for three years before retiring to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where their adventures continued for over three decades.

Never one for sitting still, Winnie spent her days walking the beach with Bill, biking the island, playing tennis, bridge, attending weekly board-game nights with friends, volunteering at the ”Bargain Box”, and attending the Providence Presbyterian Church of which she was a long-time member. The pair split time between HHI and Speculator, NY, located in the Adirondack Mountains. On mountain time, Winnie continued to be inexhaustible. She enjoyed tending to the beach, early morning walks, kayaking and jet-skiing across the lake to visit her sister, honing her green thumb in an impressive native garden/hummingbird habitat and basking in the company of her family. It was in those mountains that her competition on the tennis court and at the game table shifted from old friends to family, specifically, to her scheming grandchildren.

Winnie loved with her whole being, friends and family alike. She will be missed and certainly not forgotten.

In addition to her husband, Bill, Winnie is survived by her son David (Coleen); daughter, Jill Nilsen (Dave); sister, Audrey Miller (Al); four grandchildren: Taylor Nilsen, Jack McCaffery, Lindsay Reynolds (Richard), and Emmie McCaffery, and one great granddaughter, Scarlett Reynolds, whom she was able to hold and know. She was predeceased by her beloved son, Billy McCaffery.