Judith Scott Asay, born June 28, 1939, lived a full and active life. She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the second child and oldest daughter of 14 children to Austin and Ruth Musser Scott. Judith found her beautiful singing voice while in the basement of her family home cleaning load after load of laundry in an ancient wash tub. She studied and became a lover of reading and learning, graduating from Olympus High School in 1957.

In 1961, she and W. Morgan Davis married in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and had six children together: Kimberly, Melanie, Nile, Troy, Nathan, and Matthew. They lived back east, in Arlington, VA, while Morgan attended dental school, before moving to Boston, MA, for his orthodontic studies. This was far away from her parents and siblings, which was difficult for Judith, but she was willing to make the sacrifice to help her family get established. After his graduation, the family moved to Zanesville, OH, where he practiced orthodontics, before moving west again in 1970 to Mesa, AZ.

Judith dedicated her time to serving in the church along with being a seamstress for many of the family clothes. Judith’s growing passion for health and nutrition continued to blossom following her divorce from Morgan in 1978.

Invited by the BYU Travel Studies, Judith and her mother, Ruth, toured South Africa in 1980.

In February of 1983, Judith married Robert Dix Asay in the Salt Lake City Temple and Sarah was born that December, the day before her maternal grandfather’s birthday. Together, Judith and Bob traveled to the Holy Lands.

Following her divorce from Bob, and as a single mother, Judith went to Utah State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. After that, she attended Arizona State University, where she received her Master’s degree in Special Education.

Judith was a dedicated teacher of children with visual impairment, using her creativity and love of health to enhance the classroom experiences, even growing wheatgrass in the classroom for her children’s tactile learning.

In 1999, at sixty years old, Judith ran the Logan, Utah “Top of Utah” Marathon, winning first place in the women’s 60-64 category.

In 2008, Judith retired from teaching and served a temple mission at the Washington D.C. Temple.

Judith continued her love of sewing and service, making countless dolls and quilts for grandchildren and many others. She also took meticulous care of her yard and garden. Judith’s final years continued to see her regular service in the Temple along with her daily walks.

Judith wrote hundreds of letters throughout her years to friends and family members, saving either the original or copies of each one. Each child and grandchild would receive a birthday card, often including a balloon to inflate. Before she wrote each note, she would kneel by her bed, pray, and receive direction on what to write, specific for each loved one. Her last writing was the letter “M” (for “Mom”) in a daughter’s birthday card, shortly before her passing.

Always tenacious and single-minded, and with her love and dedication to Temple Work, Judith lived to see her goal of attending the renovated St. George Temple re-dedication with three of her children. She passed on three days later, surrounded by love in her daughter’s home in Cedar City, Utah on December 13, 2023.

Judith is survived by her seven children, 35 grandchildren, and 48 great-grandchildren.

Her funeral will be held at the Cedar City 2nd Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, located at 155 East 400 South, on Friday, December 22, 2023 at 12:00 NOON. Her body will then rest “in my new bed!” in the Cedar City, Utah cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider sending donations in Judith Asay’s name to: Utah School for the Deaf and the Blind, 742 Harrison Blvd., Ogden, Utah 84404. Or contact: Amy Zaharis, amyz@usdb.org 801-505-8696. 

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