Judith F. Kaplan

Judith F. Kaplan, of Weston, formerly of Wayland and Framingham, passed away on December 6th, with family at her side, at the age of 87. She was predeceased by her husband, Stephen Kaplan in March. Judy was born in Everett, MA to Martin and Esther Fireman and lived in Boston before the family moved to Brockton. She graduated from Brockton High School in 1954, later attending Simmons College and the Katharine Gibbs School. In September of 1958, Judy met Steve on Nantucket and they would marry eight months later, beginning nearly 65 years of marriage. The love Judy had for Steve was only equaled by her love for her family: her children, the late David Kaplan, Ruth (Kaplan) Calka and her husband Jim, and Michael Kaplan and his wife Kristin Robbins; and her four beloved grandsons, Joshua, Justin and Jacob Calka, and Rhys Kaplan.

Many of the things Judy loved most in life revolved around cultural appreciation, especially fine art, theater and music throughout New England. She was a member of museums, subscriber to theatre companies, and avid attendee of countless classical, jazz and contemporary concerts. The Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont was a cherished event each summer. Judy was deft with a needle, whether knitting, crocheting or creating marvels of needlepoint. She treated bridge as a vocation, accumulating Master Points with the ACBL and playing at a high level for decades with dedicated groups of friends. Judy was an ace Scrabble player, loved games of all types and was an avid puzzle-doer, whipping through the New York Times crossword and 1000+ piece jigsaws. Over the years, she enjoyed playing tennis at Wightman Tennis Center in Weston and Wychmere in Harwich Port, and was part of many tennis groups with friends.

Judy traveled the world with Steve and friends, visiting China, Vietnam, India, Alaska, Cuba, the Galapagos Islands and all corners of Europe. She loved gardening and was particularly proud of the flowers she tended to during summers on Cape Cod. Never without a book to read, Judy also volunteered for years at the Weston Public Library, putting her sewing skills to good use repairing books. She loved “Masterpiece Theater”, a good cup of tea, Vermouth on the rocks, and buying almost anything in bulk.

In addition to her children and grandchildren, she leaves a sister, Barbara Ross of Hingham and Debby Polonsky of Arizona, who epitomizes the phrase “best friend forever”.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, December 10, at the Sharon Memorial Park Chapel at 1 PM, followed by interment.

In lieu of flowers, we invite donations to be made in Judy’s honor to the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, WGBH or Marlboro Music.