neighbors

September 28, 2018

Judy

Judy was a delightful person and I am so happy that she was my friend. We met at a La Leche meeting in 1972 when our babies were just beginning. We enjoyed each other’s company and were delighted to have a friend who also had a little girl.

We were friends for a few years even with all our moves. During this time we
kept up by writing letters and exchanging Xmas cards. We had the pleasure of
visiting Judy and Gil a few years ago with our now grown daughters, Anne and Sarah. Sarah and Jenna were friends and delighted in playing with each other. We were so glad to have them play and to enjoy each other’s company.

I loved to spent time with Judy and she was so enjoyable to be around.

– Celia and Charles Evans

September 28, 2018

I visited with your mom and dad shortly before her surgery. She was both optimistic and determined to find a way to extend her life.

I would often see your mom and dad walking through our wonderful neighborhood, happy as newlyweds, and crave to experience that kind of relationship once again.

Your mom was the most nonjudgmental person that I ever meet and was glad I had an opportunity to share many conversations with her.

– Laura Marro

September 28, 2018

Unexpected

Just an ordinary day
is what you expect

sometimes you are
given two.

You complain about
shoveling

boots and scarves
the truck’s frozen lock.

Then you hear a wail,
the kind when babes go missing.

It’s a wail in the woods
that stops the earth’s revolution

stills the sun and moon.
I hear the wail

you hear the wail, and know
that love as old as the forest

has been interrupted
as old as the hills and rocks

and then it snows.

– Mimi Moriarty

June 1, 2018June 7, 2018

Backyards

photo of shared backyards

Judy was our neighbor for over 30 years. Our backyards abut one another, so our lives were inextricably entwined, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. There were so many days when Julie and I would be in our kitchen looking out our large breakfast nook window and see Judy buzzing around her yard, straw hat lamp-shading her head, gardening tools in hand. She was as much a reliable part of our everyday life as the sun rising in the morning. Often, we’d come home from work or open our back door on a weekend morning and find a treasure trove of greenery piled on our back stoop. Kale. Beet greens. Flowers. All freshly picked from her garden. In the fall, our backyard raking would be mercifully paused by visits with Judy and Gil at the border of our yards. We’d talk about children, movies, books, food, politics. Any imaginable topic covered with insight, intelligence and humor. She was a cherished neighbor and friend. Our backyard will never be the same.