On Thursday, February 20, 2020, Judy Lynn Bush passed away in New York City at the age of 66 after a 3.5 year long battle with leukemia.
Judy was born December 25, 1953 in Browning, Montana to Verl and Norma (Jones) Brady. She graduated from Brigham Young University in 1975 with a degree in Spanish. From 1976 to 1977, Judy served a full-time mission in Bolivia for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1977, she moved to Los Angeles, California where she met her future spouse Edward Bush. After Ed’s baptism, they were married in Los Angeles on November 21, 1981. They lived in Colorado from 1986 - 2010, where they raised their three daughters. From February 2010 until July 2016 they lived in Sykesville, Maryland, and then moved to Alpine, Utah, after Ed’s retirement.
Judy had a passion for learning. She loved to travel and took us around the world on her many adventures. She was a great organizer and led after school Spanish classes, neighborhood puppet theaters, and church choirs, and was the prime developer and contributor to the Alpine Nature Center. One of her greatest loves was music. At the age of 45, she finally got the banjo she’d always dreamed of and then created her first band with her husband and daughters. Judy then extended that love to her friends and created folk bands in every city she lived. Later in her life, she started blogging her adventures as a way to keep up with family and friends. She loved life and lived every moment to the fullest.
Judy will be loved and remembered by her husband Edward Bush, her three daughters Brittany (John) Nuttall, Amanda (Nolan) Hauta, and Crystal Bush, her four grandchildren, by her mother Norma Brady, and by her siblings Verlene (Paul) Siska, Annette (Kent) Evans, Barbara (Kent) Stevens, David (Rachael) Brady, Joan Runs Through, and Jon (Sara) Brady. Judy will also be forever remembered by her numerous nieces, nephews, extended family, and dear friends.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 10 a.m. at the LDS Church building 1125 N Alpine Blvd, Alpine, UT 84004. The viewing will be Friday, February 28, 2020 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Flowers for the services may be sent to 1125 N Alpine Blvd, Alpine, UT 84004 on Friday afternoon.
With love always and fond memories of singing during our lunch breaks - you are always in our hearts and thoughts - much love! Tu hermanita ♥
ReplyDeleteI wish all the family love and peace right now. I have great memories of Judy as my roommate in California. We did excursions to the mountains, and elsewhere and ward hopped to the Spanish Branch and singles ward in Studio City, and had a mutual love of music. I still have the old childrens hymnal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Sing With Me" which she wrote in Spanish a best wishes on my birthday and a wish that I could always sing with the angels. Judy is a great person, whom I have no doubt was beckoned from the other side by family and friends who longed for her presence as well!
ReplyDeleteSheryl Herin
Judy managed to rope me and both of my daughters into playing in her various bands, and we were forever changed by her optimistic assurance that this was something we were capable of! We learned how to get past the fear and just have fun with it. Our lives will never be the same.
ReplyDeleteIt is nearly impossible to imagine life without Judy, but my daughter said something that totally made me feel better. After having a good cry together, Nadi started laughing. When I looked at her funny, she said, "Sorry, I just had this image of Judy getting to the other side and Jesus comes and grabs her by the hand and says, 'Come here, I gotta show you something!' And he takes her to a room full of exotic, new, celestial instruments for her to try out!"
I laughed and replied, "And you KNOW what she's going to do... she's going to go around collecting lost souls and make them come play with her! And she won't take No for an answer!" :D
And, knowing Judy, she’ll probably have them all converted in time to perform for whatever heavenly concert was scheduled next.
Yes, I am absolutely convinced that Judy is already happily busy doing her thing in her new home! She was never one to let little inconveniences slow her down... I don’t see how a minor thing like death could possibly get in her way!
Dear Ed & family, My name is Denise Eardley Lambert. I met Judy and her family when my family moved to Billings, Montana, the summer before 6th grade. We finished Primary and Young Womens and Seminary together. Her dad was our bishop and then my dad was their bishop. Judy was the brains of our group (Judy, Louise Pearson, Natalie Snyder, Becky Jones, Debbie Jensen, Sue Dickson, and me.) Judy was National Honor Society and played the cello in the high school orchestra. We had all sorts of fun and adventures over the years. Then Judy and Louise went to BYU. The rest of us went to Ricks (after the first year I broke away and went to Weber State.) During the summers and Christmas breaks we would get together for our "Unhappily Unmarried Firesides". We would go to each other's homes and bring treats and just have fun. After college, we all started going our own ways. Every once in a while I would here from or about Judy. Then things got crazy for all of us, I guess. The last I heard you were living in Colorado and you had your sweet little girls. A few years ago Becky and Sue and I reconnected. We actually thought you were still in Colorado until Louise sent me this blog. I wish we had known how close you were and could have been a support to her and to you. Sue lives in Utah county and Becky and I are in Salt Lake County.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that Judy has been so ill. I am grateful to have known her. Even though we haven't been close for many years, I feel a great loss at her passing. She is a very special, talented, and lovely person. I am tickled to know that she got a banjo and mastered it. I am delighted at all the people that she has touched and have benefited from her talents and abilities.
I wanted to sent our sympathy to you all from myself and my mother CoDele Eardley Ridd (she lives in Holladay). Mom and I wanted to attend the funeral today and to see Norma. However, my husband is conducting a funeral for one of our dear friends and ward members at 11 am and Mom is pretty much blind and couldn't get there without me.
Our thoughts are with you. May you treasure the great, happy memories of Judy until you meet again!
Lots of love,
Denise Eardley Lambert
Hi Denise. This is Mollie Kelleher, an old friend from high school days (forensics team, etc.) I was thinking about you today, did a Google search and found you here. If you want to reconnect, my email is mollie.kelleher@hotmail.com. Smiles!
DeleteJudy was my dear friend in Parker Colorado. She was an inspiration and example to many! She started our band---"The Slo Pickers". Judy was willing to invite me to be in the band, even though I did not read music! I was definitely the weak link among the original 4 women. I am ever grateful to Judy for this kindness and appreciate the growth it allowed me.
ReplyDeleteI served her daughters in the youth program of our church and came to love and admire them. We send our love to Ed and the girls. Thanks Judy for some wonderful memories when we lived in Parker, Co.
Love, Christine Sirrine and family