Judy Smith died peacefully at home on March 11, 2020 at the age of 70. Her life was highlighted by her professional and volunteer work with children, her faith and her relationships with friends and family. She was born Judith Ann McCullough on May 23, 1949 in St. Louis, Missouri, to parents Edwin McCullough and Wilma Powell McCullough. Judy graduated from Center High School in Kansas City, Missouri where classmates remember her as a cheerleader and homecoming princess. After receiving her associate degree in nursing, she moved to Wilmington, Delaware where she worked as a nurse in local hospitals and received her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Delaware.
Judy held many nursing positions, but specialized in Public Health nursing, often serving pregnant women and their children in their homes. She worked for the WIC (Women, Infant and Children) program and, in her most rewarding position, as a visiting nurse in Nurse Family Partnership in Chester County, Pennsylvania. In that role, she worked with young, at-risk pregnant women, helping them prepare for motherhood, and then continued to care for mother and child through the first two years of the child’s life while encouraging and coaching the new mothers in decision making and life skills.
After her retirement and move to North Texas in 2009, she thrived as an active and fun grandmother, affectionately called Mamsy by her three grandchildren. She volunteered for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Collin County, where several of her cases were with infants and toddlers in a foster care setting. She advocated for the children and coached the parents and foster parents as they worked toward family reunification or successful adoption.
Judy volunteered at Fellowship Dallas as a Sunday School teacher to kindergarten and early elementary children. She also attended the local Bible Study Fellowship, and volunteered to care for the children of the BSF leaders. All of these roles highlighted her love for children and their parents and utilized her skills and gifts.
Judy is survived by her loving husband of 48 years, Ron Smith; two daughters, Kathryn Lysko of Allen, Texas, and Karen Reynolds of Asheville, North Carolina and three grandchildren, Kelly Lysko (age 13), Max Lysko (age 9), and Owen Reynolds (age 7).
Everyone who knew Judy appreciated her listening ear, her loving heart, joyful spirit, and demonstrations of her faith. Judy was an only child, but she had lifelong friends and cousins who became like sisters to her. In her last months, it was visits with those special people and other friends and family that she cherished.
The family wants to thank all those who supported them during this time, including the nurses, doctors and staff at Texas Oncology and Vitas Hospice Care.
A memorial service celebrating Judy’s life will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, September 12, 2020 in the worship center at Fellowship Dallas at 9330 N Central Expressway, Dallas, Texas, and it will be streamed live on Facebook.
The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to CASA of Collin County at casaofcollincounty.org.