July 15, 1935 - January 27, 2023
Published by The Globe and Mail
After a long battle with Parkinson's, Judy passed away peacefully, age 87, at Christie Gardens in Toronto, where she lived happily for the last 10 years. A graduate of Harvard and a native New Yorker, Judy arrived in Toronto from St. Louis in 1966, with her then husband Peter (1937-2006), when he was hired as first cello for the TSO. A fine flautist in her own right, once in Canada, Judy changed fields midstream. She earned a nursing degree from University of Toronto (no small feat for a single mother), and went on to work first in emerg, and then in the psychiatric ward (9South) at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she worked over thirty years. Also at Mt. Sinai, Judy helped in forming one of the very first clinics counselling HIV patients early in the AIDS crisis, work which would continue for many years. Concurrently, she started her own private psychotherapy practice, which she loved very much. Judy leaves behind lifelong friends because that's the kind of friend she was. We loved how she could touch upon the heart of even the scariest emotional topics with such understanding and kindness, depth of knowledge and humility. Judy's quick wit and keen sense of humour stayed with her until the very end. She is survived by her son, Eric; and a grandson, Wyllie. She was a remarkable woman.