Spofford Jay Beadle

1928 - 2013  (84 years)

• Name	Spofford Jay Beadle  [1, 2]
  Birth	12 Jun 1928	Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Military Draft Registration	1946	Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, USA   [1]
  	Draft Registration - WWII
  Death	24 May 2013  [2]
  Burial	Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, Westchester, New York, USA   [2]
  	Patricia Lynn Durand Beadle and Spofford Jay Beadle, buried together
  Person ID	I23421	A Tree Called Smith
  Last Modified	21 Jul 2025

  
  

  Family 1	Martha Jean Distelhurst,   b. 13 Jun 1930, Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA d. 1 Jul 1973, Arlington, Arlington, Virginia, USA (Age 43 years)
  Marriage	6 Dec 1952	New York, USA   [3, 4]
  Family ID	F9386	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Jul 2025

  
  

  Family 2	Patricia Lynn Durand,   b. 3 Dec 1940   d. 29 Jan 2012 (Age 71 years)
  Marriage	20 Feb 1965	New York, New York, USA   [5]
  Family ID	F9387	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Jul 2025

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 12 Jun 1928 - Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Military Draft Registration - Draft Registration - WWII - 1946 - Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, USA Marriage - 6 Dec 1952 - New York, USA Marriage - 20 Feb 1965 - New York, New York, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Obituaries

  Obituary-BEADLE Spofford J Spofford J. Beadle, 85, of Sleepy Hollow, NY, formerly of Brooklyn, NY, died on May 24, 2013.

  
  

• Sources

  [S363] Ancestry.com, U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Lehi, UT ; Date: 2011;), National Archives at St Louis; St Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Delaware, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 4. U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Delaware, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 4 [S10407] Find a Grave - US Index, BEADLE Spofford J 1928-2013. Patricia Lynn Durand Beadle and Spofford Jay Beadle, buried together - Spofford J. Beadle, 85, of Sleepy Hollow, NY, formerly of Brooklyn, NY, died on May 24, 2013. Spofford was born in Philadelphia to Walter J. and Christine Spofford Beadle. He attended Germantown Friends School until moving to Wilmington, DE, with his family. He graduated from Wilmington Friends School and the University of Delaware, where he majored in Theater Arts. Spofford's theater career began at the age of 16, running a follow spot. He helped to supervise stage lighting, served as a technical director, and worked his way up to stage management. In 1957, he travelled with the Jose Limon Dance Company on a State Department sponsored tour of Europe. While working as a stage manager on Broadway; he had a small part as a bellhop in The Third Best Sport - 1959. Spofford later started his own company, Producing Managers, managing summer stock playhouses in Millburn, NJ, Westport, CT and Mineola, NY, to name a few. Producing Managers also sent shows out on the road and produced three plays on Broadway: And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little - 1971; The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild - 1972; and The Lieutenant - 1975, which garnered several Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. Miss Reardon… was nominated for two best actress Tonys, and won a best featured actress Tony for Rae Allen's performance. Spofford worked as a theater manager for the Shubert Organization from 1975-2003. While with the Shuberts he managed various Broadway theaters including the Winter Garden, Lyceum and Golden. The last 16 years of his career he managed the Majestic, where Phantom of the Opera continues its historic run. As a member of the League of New York Theatres (now The Broadway League), Spofford was a proud Tony voter through 2012. Spofford was predeceased by his first wife, Martha Distelhurst, in 1973 and his second wife, Patricia Durand, in 2012. He is survived by two sons; two granddaughters; two sisters; and several nieces and nephews. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124014885/spofford-jay-beadle [S9076] Newspapers.com: Marriage of Martha and Spofford Beadle • Philadelphia Enquirer - 7 Dec 1952, Martha Jean Distelhurst and Spofford Jay Beadle - Publication Date: 7/ Dec/ 1952; Publication Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. https://www.newspapers.com/image/172718504/?article=919dec6a-d8e3-4493-879e-b25f28f07225&focus=0.4942876,0.044639457,0.73757386,0.15492092&xid=3398 [S10407] Find a Grave - US Index, DISTELHURST Martha Beadle 1930-1973. Martha Jane Beadle was born on June 13th, 1930 to Alfred Edgar Distelhurst and Ruby Hamilton. She was the baby sister to Alfred Edgar, Jr. and Dorothy Ann. Martha lost her battle with depression on July 1st, 1973. She was 43 years old. She was survived by her mother, Ruby Hamilton Distelhurst. Martha was predeceased by her father, Edgar (1972); her infant brother (1922); her sister Dorothy (1934); and her brother Alfred Edgar, Jr (1943). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157962922/martha_jane_beadle [S9026] Newspapers.com: Marriage of Patricia and Spofford Beadle • Wilmington Morning News - 15 Feb 1965, Patricia Lynn Durand Spofford Jay Beadle - Publication Date: 15/ Feb/ 1965; Publication Place: Wilmington, Delaware. https://www.newspapers.com/image/155712729/?article=adb5212e-ba51-4fbb-ab2c-f88bb1790acd&focus=0.7388301,0.47180307,0.97917473,0.67643225&xid=3398