Judith Marie Justice

When Judy Justice walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Judy was and how she impacted those around her. Judy was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if she wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Judy was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

Judy was born on July 23, 1938 at Hanneman Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Edwin C. and Mary S. Brown. Judy was raised in Richmond, Virginia. While some who knew Judy might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Judy was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and all opportunities available to her.

Judy was raised with six siblings. She had one older sister, Carol, and three younger sisters, Lorraine, Virginia and Mary. She had two younger brothers, David and Arnold. Judy was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Judy was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Judy well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of all who knew her.

As a young girl, Judy was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Judy was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Judy took part in softball. She was a Girl Scout and a cheerleader. In her spare time she liked making albums with photos. Judy's memorable achievements included winning spelling bees, being on the Honor Roll and writing for the school paper. Judy had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

During her high school years, Judy responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She graduated from Douglas S. Freeman High School in 1956. Judy was a very good student, and did well in her courses. Judy absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Judy, school often became just an extension of her personality. Classmates considered Judy a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to her to discuss just about anything. Her favorite class in high school was English. She won several awards for her articles in the school paper & for her series in the Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper.

Judy did well in college, as a result of her comfort level with tackling new theories and her love of learning. She attended Longwood College in Lynchburg, VA. She did not graduate. Her favorite course was Creative Writing. She wrote for the college newspaper and was in a sorority. Judy was very adaptable, a quality that helped her make the transition from high school to college with little difficulty. As a result, Judy's problem solving skills and thirst for new knowledge guaranteed that she enjoyed virtually every class she took. Judy was always in quest of new things to learn and experience.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Judy was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Judy was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Rose Wimpey and Laura Franklin.

On December 23, 1972 Judy married Albert Nelson Justice at Faith Bible Fellowship Church in Largo, Florida. Judy's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Al's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Judy was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Judy was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Judy, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Justice home. Judy's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Judy was blessed with 6 children: three sons, Neil, Chris and Craig and three daughters, Dana, Tracey and Linda. They were also blessed with six grandchildren, Tessa, Stuart, Donald, Cole, Courtney and Shelby.

Judy was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional executive. Her primary occupation was as a commercial real estate broker. She was employed for 27 years at Justice Corporation as Executive Vice President, a company she and her husband founded. Judy was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Judy had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Judy's employees saw her as a supporter and mentor.

Because Judy loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were her grandchildren. She also enjoyed travelling & photography. Judy had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Judith's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Judy derived enjoyment from participating in and watching sports. Her charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. In high school, Judy played softball. In her college years, she continued to stay active by playing softball. Recreational sports included boating, horseshoes and volleyball and tennis. Judy was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were the World Series.

Throughout her life, Judy was actively involved in professional and community organizations. She was compassionate, accommodating and quick to move into action. Always able to build a consensus, Judy seemed to be the person smack dab in the middle of things, working to get things done. Those who had the opportunity to work with Judy usually agreed that when you were involved in an organization with her, it was as dynamic as anything you could imagine. In high school, Judy was a member of the National Honor Society and the Journalism Club. In college, she joined Omega Tau Rho Sorority and the Journalism Club. Throughout her later years, Judy was President of Operation PAR and on the Board of the Leading Ladies of Ruth Eckerd Hall.

Because Judy was constantly in the center of things and where the action was, she always seemed willing to join in and help, regularly getting involved in community activities. Judy's gift of planning and improvisation, along with a talent for rallying support, made her a great asset. She found new ways of getting things done in order to help make just about every activity more efficient and enjoyable. Judy was an active member of several community groups, serving on committees for the American Cancer Society, Upper Pinellas Association of Retarded Citizens, Operation PAR, Ruth Eckerd Hall & the Greater Clearwater Association of Realtors. Politically, Judy was a staunch Republican and supported many candidates as a volunteer.

Judy was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith in God. She was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Florida for more than 25 years. During that time, she was active in the Capital Campaign for a new church building & was active in their Sunday School. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to the fullest while working tirelessly for her beliefs.

Though she never did anything solely for individual recognition, Judy's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and selflessness, earned her accolades for her many lifelong efforts. Some of her most prestigious awards included the JC Penney Volunteer of the Year award for outstanding community service.

Judy's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Judy took her vacations seriously. Favorite vacations included Caribbean cruises, trips to Hawaii, Ireland, England, Alaska, Mexico and Bermuda.

Judy was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Her favorite pet was Smush, a Himalayan Persian given to her by her daughter Tracey. Smush was a best friend for 16 years. Smush was preceded by her black Scottie, Bonnie and her white cat, Fluffy.

When Judy's retirement finally came in 2003, she handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for her to master. She lived in the wonderful Gulfside community of Belleair Beach, Florida - she did not need to relocate to anywhere. In retirement, she found pleasure in all of her grandchildren's activities and attending church. Even in retirement, Judy continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made new ones.

Judy Justice passed away on April 13, 2010 at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Florida. She fought a brave battle against recurrent fevers, pneumonia, lupus and diabetes. She is survived by her husband of 40 years, Al Justice, her children Neil, Chris, Craig, Dana and Linda, her grandchildren, Tessa, Stuart, Donald, Courtney, Cole and Shelby. Also her sisters, Lorraine, Virginia and Mary and her brothers David and Arnold. Services were held at Moss Feaster Funeral Home in Largo, Florida. Judy was laid to rest in Serenity Gardens Memorial Park in Largo, Florida.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Judy. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Judy for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Judy was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.