Obituaries

Bonita Kay “Bunny” Resley Harrison, age 78, passed peacefully from glioblastoma, surrounded by family and friends, on May 30, 2026, at her home on Sycamore Lane in Rumson, NJ.

She was born in Hagerstown, MD on April 3, 1948, the daughter of Floyd Robert Resley and Barbara Isabelle Jones Resley, both of whom predeceased her.

Bunny is survived by her cherished daughter, Emily Harrison, of Rumson, NJ, and her loving husband of 53 years, Reed Harrison, of Rumson, NJ and Baltimore, MD. 

She is also survived by her sister, Barbara “Bobby” Canham and her husband Derek of Devon, UK; niece Holly Edwards and her father Les Edwards of Greencastle, PA; and her brother-in-law Jeff Harrison and his wife Julie and their family of Ocoee, FL and Knoxville, TN; and Emily’s dearest friends, Erin DeWitt and Larry Schaefer.

Bunny grew up in Mercersburg, PA.  She graduated from South Hagerstown High School in 1966 and Allegany College’s first dental hygiene class in 1972.  As Reed’s career took the family to new places, she made beautiful homes for Emily and Reed in Timonium, Cumberland, and Bethesda, MD; in Clinton, Colts Neck, Holmdel, and Rumson, NJ; and in Andover, MA and Los Angeles, CA.

Her daughter, Emily, was the centerpiece and crowning glory of her life.  First and foremost, Bunny loved and selflessly cared for her family and friends.  She also loved homemaking, gardening, flowers, and all living things, pets and wildlife alike. 

Bunny was a rare and wonderful combination:  a beauty with impeccable taste and style; the kindest, most sensitive person imaginable; down to earth; always able, despite some daunting obstacles in her childhood, to see the silver lining; and fun and fun-loving.  She made her way effortlessly and gracefully through places ranging from Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills to small-town Western Maryland and among people ranging from movie stars and corporate executives to gardeners, painters, and carpenters. 

Bunny made the world a better place.

A private funeral service with the immediate family will be held at Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank, NJ. The family requests that any remembrances be made as memorial donations in her name to the North Shore Animal League America, 25 Davis Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050, or at https://www.animalleague.org.