Judy was born in Ponca City and grew up in Houston. A graduate of the University of Texas with a major in Education, she taught school and worked for the Girl Scouts before spending the bulk of her career in corporate America. After retiring from Sprint Corporation, Judy eagerly jumped into the Grace School ministry for two years. Although she has lived in Tulsa off and on for 37 years, she will always be a Texan at heart.

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Judy has two sons, who she describes as great family men, five grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Her husband, Wayne, had two sweet daughters and four grandchildren, who she also claims. Sharing her home are two cats, Kristoff and Glitter.

For fun, Judy enjoys gardening, board and card games, walking, movies, learning new things, and traveling. A trip to Italy was one of her favorites. OU and Arkansas are her favorite teams. Having played for the U.S. Women’s Soccer League for 10 years – something she claims she was pretty good at – she is a lifelong fan.

Married for 37 years, her husband Wayne became ill in his early 60s related to exposure to Agent Orange during his military service. He died in 2019. Judy was his loving caregiver for ten years as his dementia and cancer progressed. It was not an easy journey for either of them.

Now, like the song “This is Me” from the movie “The Greatest Showman,” Judy says she feels as if she is bursting out of a shell, and discovering she loves people and learning new things. She is so excited to join Heartwood Commons and is really impressed with how well the community is organized and how quickly she feels a part of the group.

Meet the Community