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In memory of

Judith Ann Woodard

Tempe, AZ

March 1, 1937 - January 1, 2022

Mar 1, 1937 - Jan 1, 2022

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Judith Ann Woodard passed away on New Year’s Day, 2022 at the age of 84

Judy was born Judith Ann Gurney to parents Charles and Peggie Gurney on March 1st, 1937. She had an older brother Bill, who was four when she was born.

She grew up in Olean, NY, and attended Olean High School, where she played basketball on the school team and worked at the YMCA as a lifeguard. After graduating from high school in 1955, she attended Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY for two years.
At that time, her parents were going to retire to Scottsdale, AZ, and wanted her to come with them. She didn’t want to go, but they talked her into it by also bringing along her high school sweetheart, Dale Woodard.

Judy continued her undergraduate education at Arizona State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in education in 1959. She and Dale (Woody) got married on May 30th, 1959 in Scottsdale, AZ.

She went on to earn her master’s degree in education while coaching/teaching swimming and synchronized swimming at ASU. After college, she taught P.E. and coached athletics at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix from 1960-1966.

In 1967, she had a daughter Shelley, and two years later, a son Steven. Judy was a stay-at-home mom for the next 16 years. During that time, she taught swimming lessons during the summers in our backyard. She also taught synchronized swimming to the neighborhood girls. She was a Girl Scout leader for many years, and a softball coach for the city of Tempe girls’ program. She also coached softball at McKemy Jr High for several years.

When her kids were in high school, she went to work at Motorola. She worked there from 1984 until she retired in the late 1990s. In retirement, she adored and doted on her four granddaughters Danielle, Shannon, Kylie, and Makenzie. She was also an Awana leader at Chandler Bible Church for several years, where she loved a whole new generation of kids. She and Woody were both ardent supporters (and season ticket holders) for ASU women’s basketball and ASU softball.

She is survived by her husband Woody, daughter Shelley (54), son Steve (52), granddaughters Danielle (29), Shannon (27), Kylie (19), and Makenzie (16), and great-grandchildren Sophie (9), Jace (8), Charlie (3), and Carter (17 mo). We are so happy that she got to meet and love on baby Carter before she passed.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Women’s Sports Foundation, to honor Judy’s love of sports, and her lifetime of coaching/teaching girls in sports.

https://www.womenssportsfound…

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