Jennifer Margaret Daly, 48, of Fair Haven, passed away peacefully at home Nov. 23, 2022, surrounded by her children and husband. Jen had pancreatic cancer.
Jen was a devoted, loving and caring mother to her sons, Will (age 7) and Trevor (age 6), and wife to her husband Matt. She cherished life at the shore – especially riding bikes to the river, swimming out past the breakers, and relaxing with her family and friends under her favorite blue and white beach umbrella.
The third of five active children, Jen grew up in Boxford, Massachusetts, and spent her summers on the beach in Seabrook, New Hampshire. She described her childhood as magical and extraordinary, framed by the beauty of Cape Ann’s countryside and coastline.
A standout soccer player, Jen competed for Masconomet Regional High School, won a national championship with the Boston Bolts, earned multiple All-Ivy soccer honors for her stifling defensive play at Cornell University, and was later inducted into Cornell’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Yet Jen rarely discussed soccer awards. She preferred to talk about the friendships formed, lessons learned, and values instilled – particularly grit and bravery, and how she was guided by them after both her harrowing experience on September 11, 2001, and her pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2022.
After Cornell, Jen jumped into life and new friendships in Manhattan. Keen on style, fluent in Spanish, and inspired by a lifelong interest in art and culture, Jen traveled extensively with family and friends. Jen was an avid reader in both English and Spanish and dove deeply into the literature of both languages, often inspired by recommendations from her New York City brunch and book groups.
Jen earned an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business while working full time for Marsh at the World Trade Center. A 9/11 survivor, Jen remained forever grateful to a New York City firefighter and a Tribeca couple for saving her life as she fled the terrorist attack. She never knew their names but recalled with great humility and gratitude how they led her from the chaos and trauma of the ash-filled street into the relative safety of a small apartment building and cleaned her face and hands. Jen mourned the loss of her Marsh colleagues for the rest of her life.
After 9/11, Jen resolved to remain in New York and embarked on a robust career spanning two decades in brand management (Unilever) and digital marketing (jet.com/Walmart), culminating in her appointment as chief marketing officer of Serta Simmons Bedding. Jen was a brilliant brand fixer, known for her ability to analyze the root cause of business problems, build consumer-centric strategies, and return businesses to growth. Yet she considered her most important professional legacy to be the co-workers she taught and mentored along the way.
Juggling life as a working mom, Jen’s boys were a common sight on Zoom calls as they clamored into her office after school to provide updates and receive love and hugs. They were her first priority, her pride and joy.
In addition to her husband Matt and their sons, Will and Trevor, Jen is survived by her mother Jill, siblings Kendall, Erin, Conor and Blaire, many Daly, Bower, Hendrickson and Somma relatives, and countless friends and colleagues. Jen’s father William H. Daly Jr. of Methuen, Massachusetts, predeceased her.
Services for Jen were held Dec. 7, 2022, at Holy Cross Church in Rumson.
The article originally appeared in the January 19 – 25, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
