Judith was born in 1941 in Lindsay, California to Edward and Alta Harper. She was the youngest of three children. Having been born at the end of the great depression and the beginning of World War II, she grew up knowing what struggle was. Her childhood was spent traveling throughout the South West following work where her parents could find it. Her children grew up listening to the many stories of living in chicken coops and trick or treating for food to eat that week.
During her teenage years they returned to the family roots in East Texas were she attended her high school years. She often reminisced of the days working in the local Dietz Cafeteria. She would deliver hotdogs from Dietz to the theater across the street. In exchange she could see all of the movies that she would like.
By the mid sixties Judith had experienced a couple of unsuccessful marriages and was mother of three children, she made a bold leap and moved her family to Florida. Where her family expanded to include two more children.
Being a single mother of five, many times Judith would work 2 and 3 jobs consecutively to support her family. She went back to school and graduated Dean's list from FSCJ, with a Bachelors in restaurant and hotel management. She wattressed at many local establishments, but ultimately her primary line of work was security. Judith was one of the 1st women in her field. She worked for some of the largest companies in Jacksonville at that time; Montgomery Ward's, Zayers, Steinmart, and finally after many years retiring from Kmart. She went on to run her own business in the Murray Hill area, “Harper’s Bazaar” on Edgewood Avenue.
After raising her children and kissing many frogs she found her prince, James Rutherford. They were married on June 06, 1991. They spent 32 years building a life together and watching their combined families grow. They enjoyed doing many home projects, building things for their grandchildren, and tending to their abundant plant collection. They also were avid Motorcycle enthusiasts. Attending many bike events, and rides, Including celebrating the start of their retirement by taking a trip on their Honda Goldwing up the Blue Ridge Parkway. She was only briefly separated from her prince, by his death just two months before her passing.
Judith was also a cancer survivor having been dealt a bad hand, she had to fight two breast cancers, two colon cancers, and two lung cancers. She was a warrior, she won each battle with dignity and a sense of humor. However, those long battles culminated in a major war on her body decades later, that allowed her to return to her prince.
Judith was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great great grandmother, and friend. She was preceded in death by her husband James as well as both of her brothers, William Phillips and Dennis Harper, and her daughters, Alta Tricky and Darla Wood.
She is survived by her daughters Cheryl (James) Bennett, and Lora Wood; Stepdaughter, Carin Creel; Son, Jack (Shauna) Wright; Stepsons, Brian (Janine) Rutherford, Lorin (Amy) Rutherford, Joseph (Springdove) Rutherford, and Ross (Angie) Rutherford; and many loving grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and extended family.
A visitation for Judith will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, 7242 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32205. The funeral service will occur Wednesday, February 8, 2023 at 11:00 am at the Funeral Home with burial to follow at 1pm.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hgriversidefuneralhome.com for the Rutherford family.
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