Meredith JaneWarmington

Meredith Jane Warmington, of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, died peacefully on July 28, 2026. She was 56 years old.

She was born in San Salvador, El Salvador, to Nancy and William Warmington, Sr. She spent her early childhood in San Salvador and in Venezuela. Her family returned to the United States, living in Connecticut and Massachusetts before settling in Maryland, where she spent her adolescence. Year after year, they visited the family cottage on Popham Beach in Maine — a place she loved her entire life and shared joyfully with those dear to her.

From the time she was a little girl playing school, Meredith knew she would be a teacher. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from Boston University, and later her Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Teachers College, Columbia University.

In 1992, she joined the faculty of Washington Elementary School in Summit, New Jersey, where she taught for thirty-four years. She also taught in the FLASH and SNAP summer programs. After many years as a classroom teacher, she helped start the school's new STEAM program — science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics — and led it for the final chapter of her teaching career. She developed its curriculum and built a classroom where hands-on learning came alive, inspiring in her students excitement and an abiding love of learning. It was the crowning achievement of a long and remarkable career. She retired in June 2026.

Meredith was a creative and compassionate teacher, patient and attentive to the whole child. She took the time to understand her students so they felt seen and heard. She believed that every person is entitled to fairness and equal treatment, and she carried that principle into her classroom. She stood firm in her convictions and refused to waver. Her influence reached beyond her own students: she was a leader in her building, a generous colleague, and an invaluable member of the Summit Education Association, where she served as a building representative and secretary.

In 1999, she met fellow Summit teacher Jeff Fluharty, who would become the love of her life. Meredith and Jeff were married on Kauai in 2002. They were true partners and best friends, supporting each other professionally, raising a family, and sharing countless adventures. They made their home in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, where they raised their three children. Meredith loved being a mother above all else, and she devoted herself to loving, supporting, and standing beside her children in everything they did. Together, she and Jeff created a home of love, warmth, and safety — one where everyone was welcomed exactly as they were.

Among her friends and family, she was known as someone anyone could always rely on — a woman of deep honor and quiet pride, and an exceptional listener. She was the person others turned to with their troubles, and she met them without judgment. She was often the first to see when a student, a colleague, or a family was struggling, and the first to organize help. She had a wonderful sense of humor and loved nothing more than a good laugh. Traveling, the outdoors, music, and Broadway shows were among her greatest joys.

Meredith died of pancreatic cancer, which she faced for nearly three years with the same spirit she brought to everything in her life — she never stopped fighting, because she loved her family and her life too deeply to do otherwise.

Although Meredith's life was far too short, it was a life well lived — a life packed with love and laughter, purpose and passion. Her students, friends, and family are forever better for their time with her. Meredith inspired those around her to be the finest versions of themselves, to take risks, and to live in the moment. Her legacy can be seen in the students she taught, the children she raised, and the people she loved. Her imprint is on all of their hearts.

She is survived by her husband, Jeff Fluharty; her children, Riley, Rowan, and Henry Fluharty; her mother, Nancy Warmington; her sister, Elizabeth Garcia, and her husband, Michael; her brother, Bill Warmington, Jr., and his wife, Ann; her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Mike and Lorraine Fluharty; her brother-in-law, Ken Fluharty, and his wife, Beth; her nephews, Ted and Gus Warmington, and Dylan Fluharty; and her niece, McKenna Fluharty. She was predeceased by her father, William Warmington, Sr., in 2023.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.

The family extends its heartfelt gratitude to the teams at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Summit Health, who worked closely with her to provide outstanding care throughout her treatment.