Thomas Robert Judy
Dr. Thomas Robert Judy died peacefully on Wednesday, April 22, 2015, at the age of 90. Born in Centerville, Iowa, on July 26, 1924, Judy spent his childhood in the Midwest before he was swept away to Laguna Beach, where the glistening Pacific Ocean offered optimism during the misery of the Great Depression.
It was here that the Judy family laid roots and the legacy of our patriarch began. A star athlete, Judy was an all-American basketball player at Laguna Beach High School, which after graduating in 1942, earned him a scholarship to the University of Redlands. But World War II had other plans for Judy. Just a year after enrolling in college, he enlisted and served overseas in the Philippines as a trained Navy corpsman. Once again, he headed towards the great Pacific. Before his departure, Judy married his high school sweetheart, Rebecca Morey, and the two had their first child, Mark Judy, in 1944. At the end of WWII, Judy completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California before earning his doctor of dental surgery degree at the University of Pennsylvania. While living in Philadelphia, Tom and Becky had their second child, Diane Judy, in 1952.
After Judy graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1953, the family settled back in to their hometown of Laguna Beach and Judy installed himself as a pillar of the community, known to all as our family dentist, Little League coach, Rotarian, lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church, and a good friend to all.
After losing Becky to cancer in 1986, Judy met his second wife, Mary Judy, with whom he spent 27 wonderful years traveling the world and continuing to be an asset to the community. To this day there are not enough words in the English language to describe his extraordinary soul. Judy stayed true to his core values of personal responsibility, duty, honor, faith, and took nothing for granted.
Judy leaves his beloved wife Mary Judy, children Dr. Mark Judy and Diane Riegler, step-children Dan Danford, Brad Coleman, Carrie Christy, and Cathleen Armstrong, 12 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and countless loving family members and friends.
A memorial service will be held at Laguna Presbyterian Church on Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 2 p.m. with Dr. Jerry Tankersley presiding.
