Memories of Judith
This page is a collection of memories shared by family, friends, and everyone whose life was touched by Judith. Each story and message shared here is a reminder of the love, kindness, and happiness she brought into the lives of those around her.
Some memories may make you smile, others may bring a tear, but together they help celebrate her life and the many moments that made her so special. Thank you to everyone who has shared their memories and helped keep her spirit alive.
Every memory here represents a moment that mattered — a conversation, a laugh, a small act of kindness, or a time when she made someone feel understood and cared for. These moments may seem simple on their own, but together they form a beautiful picture of the person she was.
Reading these memories reminds us that the impact someone has on the world is not measured by time, but by the love and connections they leave behind. Through these shared stories, her warmth, personality, and the joy she brought to others continues to live on.
If you have a memory of Judith, no matter how big or small, you are warmly invited to share it. Your words can help others remember a special moment, bring comfort, and keep her story alive for everyone who visits this space.
Judith
I held your hand,
and in that hand was all that I needed.
I felt your love,
so bright it shone through everything,
and I felt the warmth of it,
a warmth that made my heart glow.
And in those moments, there was us.
True, so true,
a love so true.
And with each passing day,
our bond would grow,
not in days alone,
but in our hearts,
which were filled with love.
True, so true.
For you.
Thank you for your love,
a treasure I shall hold in my heart always.
XXX
Graham
What Truly Matters
In grief,
love still shines.
The longing for your presence,
the holding of your hand,
the touch of your kiss,
the sound of your voice,
and just to be.
To be together
in the ordinary moments,
when nothing special was happening,
yet everything was there.
The words spoken,
"I love you."
"I love you."
From my heart to your heart,
and from your heart to mine.
No distance in those words,
no measure for their worth.
Now grief has spoken.
Not to silence love,
but to reveal it.
For grief is the echo
of a love so deep
that even absence
cannot make it disappear.
And so I carry both:
the sorrow of your absence,
and the gift of your love.
For what truly matters
still shines.
XXX
Graham
Judith was a very warm and generous person, and I remember how touched we were when she invited us in 2021 to one of the events in their garden to launch Tony’s book of Poetry ‘Walk with me’ which was being sold in aid of the Brain Tumour Charity. Soon after that we were also invited to another garden party to celebrate Judith’s birthday. It was lovely to see her surrounded by her family with whom she clearly had a great relationship and who were very supportive of her and Tony.
We used to message each other via WhatsApp during Tony’s illness and Judith was always very honest about how she was feeling but also very supportive of things in our lives, especially when our youngest granddaughter, Sienna, was born with Down Syndrome. She always expressed interest in her development, and I know she prayed for us, as we also prayed for her and Tony.
After Tony’s death we continued to be in touch on WhatsApp sharing news and prayer requests and Judith’s messages were always full of positivity, even when she was so ill herself. She loved St Mary’s Church and even after moving to Chorleywood she continued to see it as very much her church family. She was always very supportive of all we did through our charity Root and Branch Change and came to the This is Christmas festival we arranged with St Mary’s. She was so pleased to have met Graham who by then was already her close companion and soulmate and was so grateful for all the support and love he gave her in her last few months.
We miss you Judith but rejoice that now you are with the Lord and at peace.
Sue & Paul Brooks 14/5/26 (what would have been Judith’s birthday!)
Sue Brooks
A Birthday Without You
A special day for you, my sweetheart,
one that would have brought joy to you, and joy to me.
For our two special days
were side by side,
a joint celebration of fun and games,
of theatre visits, laughter, and memories.
You loved playing games,
going to the theatre,
and having a party on your birthday,
those moments filled with joy and light.
This day is hard to bear,
sad in its silence, in not sharing it with you,
for our time together was too short.
My words are lost as I try to speak,
a day that should be happiness only shows me how much you meant to me.
Today, in my heartache, I feel the loss of you intensely.
Those tears that fall — I have no say, and in those moments, I let them fall.
Each tear reveals a never-ending love for you.
You are my one and only.
XXX
Graham
Happy Heavenly Birthday Judith ❤️xx 'I thank my God every time I remember you.' Philippians 1:3 It is wonderful knowing you are safe with Jesus for ever!xx
Juliet Mitchell
Isabella Plantation
Judith went to the Isabella plantation in 2024 and took many pictures, she loved photography. I went in 2025 by myself before I knew Judith. After we met I said where I had taken many pictures in Richmond park and she told me that she had been there a year earlier. Some of the pictures we had both taken were nearly identical. There were a few pictures of the small pond that it looked like we had stood in the same spot, even though a year apart. Judith made the comment "its even got the same duck in it!" Quiet extraordinary how our paths had crossed albeit one year apart.
The Small Pond
In 2024 Judith went to Isabella Plantation,
taking many of photos — which she loved doing.
In 2025 I went on my own,
before I even knew her, just walking, same as that.
Later on, after we met,
I said where I’d been in Richmond Park,
she said she’d gone the year before,
same place, same paths, same quiet spark.
We looked at the photos side by side,
and some were almost just the same,
same angle, same bit of water,
like we’d both played out the same small frame.
By that little pond in particular,
it looked like we hadn’t even moved,
like we’d stood in the exact same place,
a year apart, but somehow in tune.
She laughed and said, "it's even got the same duck in it too!"
and that’s the bit that stayed with me —
how something so small, so ordinary,
could feel so strange, so quietly.
Just odd, really, when you think of it —
how paths can cross before they start,
how we’d both been there without knowing,
same place, same view, a year apart.
And now I go back, but it’s not the same,
I still see the pond, still say your name,
those photos feel different,
and the light has changed its view—
I love you just the same,
and I feel your absence every day,
XXX
Graham
We enjoyed meeting Judith and Graham at the church summer picnic and getting to know you. I also had a fun time with her at the Christmas fair and managed not to tip her out of her wheelchair on the cobbled slope! She is missed, and was a valued member of St Mary's.
Katrina and Jono
Thank you Judith for your warmth and friendship over so many years.
You and Robin danced together in your teens while training at Laban, then you both moved to Trent Park where you met Tony and Sam.
How lucky were we!
After raising our families we all met up again in our 70s in Chesham and enjoyed time together again. Always showing great hospitality towards your guests, there was almost always a game to be played, a deep discussion to be had and a delicious meal to be shared.
Now you and Tony are both gone. We all miss you Judith.
We thank you for the time we spent together and for your indomitable spirit, your love, kindness and wild enthusiasm for life itself. Never had we met such a character as you Judith.
We pray for peace for you and for Tony, for all your family and for Graham who came into your life so close to its end.
Rest in peace Judith.
Love Robin and Sam XX
Robin and Sam Elgar
Judith's Love For Swimming
When I first met Judith she told me that she goes swimming several times a week. Judith asked if I would like to go swimming with her, as this was something I enjoyed I readily agreed. We would go to a hotel where they had a pool. The staff knew Judith quite well. Judith would swim lengths and then do other excerices which was quite amazing. Later on she bought some noodles that you use in the pool. I would pull her around the pool which she loved. I would say you need to swim, "No I am enjoying you pulling me around" It was such a wonderful time when we went swimming. We would have lots of fun. A truly wonderful person and wonderful moments that shall be with me for ever.
Judith and I Swimming
Judith and I went swimming,
water soft around us,
her smile brighter
than the pool's light.
She loved to swim,
strong, free, alive,
and I loved being there with her.
Sometimes I would pull her close,
laughing as she said,
"Just pull me while I hold the noodles"
we dont need to swim;
just being together is enough.”
In those simple moments,
we had everything
the water, the laughter,
and us together.
With the ripples of the water,
like echoes of our love,
soft, gentle, forever.
My love for you
is as the day we first met.
Graham
Off to an immersive production of The Great Gatsby(2018) Mum was passionate about theatre.
Tim
Here we are with mum in the desert outside Dubai in 2017. She loved family holidays and had a real sense of adventure.
Tim
Mum adored the train game.
Tim
I first met Judith when she wanted to have a renewal of wedding vows service when her husband Tony was in the advance stages of cancer. That was when I discovered the passion with which Judith approached life, how when she loved someone it was with a determined, intense, passionate devotion. This intensity came across in her worship life. She was always keen to be in church on Sundays, even as her mobility reduced. Her friendship with Graham meant that she was still able to come and express this part of her identity. Judith loved our community events at St Mary's and always brought a liveliness and joy to these occasions. She was a generous host and someone who wanted very much to live out her Christian faith in her everyday life. Thank you Lord for Judith!
Edward Bowes-Smith
I recall first meeting Judith when she and Tony started coming along to St Mary's, Chesham, when we were allowed to start attending church services again after the Covid lockdown. They were understandably cautious about protecting themselves from infection and wore distinctive white cotton gloves. Judith cared for Tony with such love, dedication and constancy. Judith retained her love of, and need for, fresh air in church after we had moved out of Covid times, which led to a careful balancing act for those on warden duty, especially during the winter months! She was always ready to greet you with a smile and a readiness to chat, whether in church or if you bumped into her around Chesham. I remember a conversation after church one day when I told Judith how happy my Mum is living in her retirement village and explained the reasons behind this. Judith later told me, after making her own move, that this conversation had influenced her decision to move to a similar village - fortunately she felt this had been a very good move for her! Most recently, I enjoyed Judith's company at the St Mary's Women's Advent Craft Evening in November we especially enjoyed making festive table favours in the form of little bobble hats to fit Lindor truffles! It was just as lovely to share a table at Caf'e Carols with Judith and Graham in mid December. Although I am so sad that this was the last time I saw Judith (in this life), I am thankful I did not know this at the time. Having heard of Judith's passing it took a little while for me to ascertain that she had lived to see Christmas, which must have been such a blessing to her family and those closest to her.
Juliet Mitchell
This is where Judith and I had our first of many picnics. It was on the 23rd July 25. We had just been swimming which Judith loved to do.
It was a lovely sunny day, Judith had not been able to get out into the fields by her self because of her mobility. So it was an emotional moment for her to be able to sit in the field looking at the views, having a picnic and talking with me. It was a really special moment, and Judith appreciated it immensely.
A simple thing to do that brought great joy to her.
The sun shone softly on the field,
and your eyes lit up
with the quiet joy
of simply being there.
Sky above, grass around us,
the wide open views
and you, smiling at it all
like you had found your place in it again.
We held hands
to hold the moment,
as if time might pause
just long enough for us to stay.
A simple thing,
a warm day, a picnic,
a field beneath the sun,
yet it filled your heart
with such deep joy.
My Love is always there for you Judith.
Graham
This is the bench where Judith and I first met.
A moment that changed everything.
Though she is gone, the love we shared lives on in every memory, every laugh, every word.
The park bench, now empty
no us, only me, how my heart breaks,
but in us, memories complete and full.
The words we spoke,
the laughter we shared,
you told me about you,
I told you about me.
Time passed,
we exchanged our numbers,
knowing a special moment had begun for us.
And on that day,
a truth was found:
love can come
at any moment, at any age.
When it does,
you simply bow down to it,
and say:
Thank God for love,
and thank God for you, Judith.
Graham
It was an honour to be asked to officiate at Judith's service of thanksgiving. Taking the funeral of someone you knew well, and were very fond of, is never easy. But I share here the opening words of my sermon, which gives a flavour of Judith the woman.
Judith left detailed instructions for how today should go. Just over three years ago Judith had equally strong views about how her beloved Tony's funeral should be conducted. And I remember negotiating with Judith on some of her requests, which was not easy, as she was, as you know, and as I have already said, a formidable woman, who knew her own mind, and she had a way of talking to you, with a warm engaging smile, a disarming sense of humour, and yet a steely determination, that lulled you into almost always agreeing with her in the end! In fact, she almost wrote my sermon for the occasion.
And so I wondered, with some trepidation, what surprises she might have in store for today. Perhaps, given her theatrical bent, singing the words of well-known hymn to a different tune entirely."How great thou art sung to the tune of You've got to pick a pocket or two" from Oliver. Who knows? With Judith anything was possible, absolutely anything. That was just one part of her immense charm.
Jeremy
I first met Judith whilst I was at work. I have happy memories of her sitting in her chair by the pond reading the news/newspaper soaking up the sun. We often had passing conversations, she had this infectious energy about her and was always up for a chat and a laugh. Where she chose to sit used to make me laugh, she would sit right in the middle of the pathway so the linen buggy’s couldn’t pass but no one dared to interrupt as she looked so peaceful. I’ve attached a video of where Judith used to sit🌅🧡
Freya
Judith, you will me missed by so many, your vibrant personality always outshone any room you graced. We were neighbours for 8 years & i was blessed to have known you & made a friend along the way. You & Tony can now be together again at last, where you can walk hand in hand in heaven with Jesus. My love & prayers are with your family.
Samantha Larner
Judith had mentioned going to this restaurant for a few months. She would not tell me what or where is was apart from, its in Drury lane. It was to be a suprise. So on sunday the 7th Decemeber 2025 we went with her two friends Sam and Robin. The restaurants name was Sarastro. We had a lovely evening. Judith really enjoyed the music and being back in London again. A really lovely memory. Thank you Judith, you are deeply missed every day.
Graham
Judith was a truly lovely lady who loved her swimming and spoke about it with such joy. She was genuinely kind and always a pleasure to chat with. Everyone at work was more than happy to lend her a helping hand whenever she needed it. She will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, Judith.
Jo
I met Judith for the first time in Julyish of 2025 and we got to talking (i probably should have been working) but she was talking about how proud of her children she was and how much she enjoyed going swimming and about the incredible things she had done in her life, I was having a bad day that day and having that convocation with the amazing Judith made my bad day into one alot better, she was a light to many people may she rest in peace.
Chris
Chris
Judith with friends in Barbados
Becky Robertson
I Love You Judith
XXX
Graham
"She left in love"
