JUDY CORBETT BARKER 1/1/1942 - 5/22/2020May 23, 2020
Our beloved mother passed from this Earth very early Friday morning. We are deeply saddened by her death, but we are so thankful that she is no longer suffering. Judy was born on the first day of January, 1942 in Newark, NJ to Thomas and Mary (Mollie) Corbett. Because she missed the tax deadline of the previous day, her father always told her that she was an expensive baby. The family grew with the addition of two brothers and they later lived in Bloomfield, NJ. Judy attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell, NJ, followed by Seton Hall University, studying English and French, and graduating in only 3 years. She maintained lifelong friendships with her many great girlfriends from those days lasting until today. Judy married right out of college and gave birth to her three children while the family was stationed in Berlin, Germany between 1963 and 1966. Upon her return to the US, while her husband was in Vietnam, she started a group called the Waiting Wives Club to help other wives and mothers during the deployment. As her children grew, she became interested in real estate and obtained her real estate license when the family was stationed in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and began her real estate career. After the family moved to Fayetteville, NC, Judy obtained her broker's license and began a very successful 20+ year career selling real estate to transitioning military families. Easy to talk to and extremely competent, Judy quickly built up a network of referrals which helped her to grow her business every year. When her health began to deteriorate due to her lung disease (pulmonary fibrosis), she found other ways to channel her energies. She became an astute stock market enthusiast and fulfilled her lifelong dream of tracking down her genealogy. In so doing, she found first and second cousins in Newfoundland, Canada. Her yearly trips to Newfoundland were one of the joys of her life and she loved her home on "the Butterpot." Part of her genealogy exploration included teaching herself how to create a website so that she could share what she learned with anyone who might be (even a little) interested. She learned how to write HTML back in the early days and when we complained that her website was "So 90's" she reminded us that that was the way she liked it. Eventually, Judy ended up on full-time oxygen and was placed on the waiting list for a double-lung transplant. She was anxious and scared but when the time came, she survived the double lung transplant with only a few minor setbacks. She knew that transplanted lungs only last about 5 years but she was willing to face that risk to have some more good days. The lung transplant gave her the opportunity to return to her beloved Newfoundland more times, attend a grandson's law school graduation, attend family weddings and Mom even made it to New York City to see "Come From Away," which she cried most of the way through. Except for the part about the screech--she loved that part! Judy will be known for her overwhelming generosity - always ready with a gift or a baked item for almost any occasion. She had a deep faith in God and she loved her family fiercely. She was loyal, to a fault, and was just starting to get good at Words with Friends when she was hospitalized. When asked recently how she wanted to be remembered, she replied, "as Grandma, Mom and wife." Judy modeled grace and strength and courage throughout her medical journey. Judy leaves behind her husband of 38 years, Geoff, her three children Mary Dunnigan, Tammy (Robert) DiBlasi, and Jim (Lynda) McDevitt. Also missing Judy are her brothers, Thomas Corbett (Robert Moye) and Glenn Corbett (Margie). Judy's six grandchildren will miss her dearly: Elizabeth Dunnigan, John Dunnigan (Kristin), Mallory, Ryan and Erin DiBlasi and James McDevitt III, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Please feel free to leave a comment memory of Judy below. Her family will treasure your memories always. |
|
|
Widget is loading comments...