Judith “Judy” C. Emmons

BELGRADE – Judith “Judy” C. Emmons was called home to her Lord for a much-anticipated and long-awaited welcome into his Kingdom just after midnight on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025 from Andwell Hospice House in Auburn, while surrounded by family, after decades of coping with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as well as battling dementia the past few years, and is now lovingly comforted in His arms.

Judy was born in Waterville on Sept. 30, 1941 to Ernest A. and Dorothy G. (Tracy) Cook as the oldest of five daughters who all grew up on the family farm on Horse Point Road and Great Pond’s Hatch Cove in Belgrade and where she returned to make her final home for the past two decades.

Judy attended Belgrade Schools, graduating from Belgrade High School in 1960, and proudly matriculated into and graduated from Farmington State Teachers College. She returned to Belgrade in 1964 to teach Kindergarten through Second Grade in a two-room schoolhouse for several years until, after marrying Roger A. Emmons on June 18, 1966 at the Old South Church in Belgrade, they moved to Germany for the U.S. Air Force in 1967 after his return from Vietnam. Judy continued to teach while in Germany helping military spouses learn English as a second language. They enjoyed their four and a half years stationed throughout Germany as “tourists” visiting all the sites, most memorably Neuschwanstein Castle, skiing the Austrian Alps, and camping wherever they could enjoy the beautiful outdoors. They often joked they did their part in fulfilling the American GI mandate as they returned to the U.S. with two boys, Stuart and Derek, a collie, a VW, and numerous cuckoo clocks, steins, hummels, and other wooden treasures from the Black Forest.

Judy and Roger mostly raised their family in Oscoda, Mich. while stationed at Wurtsmith AFB until Roger retired and the family returned to Maine with Roger starting his “second” career as a truck driver hauling heating oil and gasoline out of Portland. While in Michigan, Judy and Roger also ran a shelter home for children where they were able to care for and show love to hundreds of children waiting for a more permanent foster home. As the last child welcomed into their home, who uncharacteristically stayed for many weeks, Jason had become like family, so Judy and Roger started adoption procedures just prior to moving back to Maine.

Wherever they resided, Roger and Judy would find themselves a new home church, or help to start one, where they would serve their Lord in multiple capacities. Judy would teach Sunday School to various children’s

classes as well as lead Ladies’ Bible Study groups. She was a life-long avid Bible scholar who tirelessly conducted a tremendous amount of independent research which could rival that of the authors of annotated Study Bibles.

In addition to sharing her love of and teaching the works of Jesus, Judy also enjoyed spending time at “the Pond”, knitting, reading, writing, gardening (particularly her prized blueberry patches), camping, boating, all four seasons, nature, genealogy, her Abenaki and other American Indian heritages, and her hobby farm, especially introducing others to their horses and giving them rides.

Judy was predeceased by parents Ernest and Dorothy; all of her aunts and uncles; sister, Laurel “Lolly” P. Wadleigh; dear cousin, Barbara J. Cook (who was more like an older sister and was instrumental in igniting her passion for horses and the outdoors); and nephews David Wadleigh and Kenny Moore.

Judy is survived by her husband of 59 years, Roger A. Emmons of Belgrade; sons Stuart A. Emmons (Sherry) of Surfside Beach, S.C., Derek W. Emmons (Jennifer) of Boerne, Texas, and Jason R. Emmons (Carrie) of Lebanon; 10 grandchildren, Nicholas “Nick”, Hailey, Cody, Connor, Jocelynn, Tyler, Dakota, Lucas, Mason, and Elijah; one great-grandson, Landon; “daughter-in-law” Esther Hahn; sisters Sylvia C. Webb (Clyde) of Manchester, Anita C. Merrow (Eugene) of Belgrade, and Cathy R. Dodge of Fairfield; brothers-in-law Howard “Ted” Wadleigh of Belgrade and Michael Emmons of Portland, sister-in-law, Bonnie (Kenneth) Moore of Madison; and numerous nephews and nieces.

Special thanks are given to Woodlands Senior Living (Memory Care) of Farmington who took wonderful care of Judy for the past 18 months.

Visitation will be held from 2:30-3:30 p.m. with a funeral service beginning at 3:30 p.m., conducted by Pastor Dan Coleman of Central Church on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Veilleux-Redington – Lawry Brothers Funeral Home at 8 Elm St. in Waterville. A Potluck Remembrance Reception will immediately follow the funeral service. Judy will be buried at the Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Augusta at a later date.

In lieu of flowers,

contributions can be made to Central Church of Augusta, which has been Judy’s special home church for more than 20 years.