Judy Allen was born in 1948 in Prescott, AZ. and passed away in Burnaby, BC on January 5th, 2023. She is survived by her brother John and his wife Joan, and their daughter Jo, all living in Prescott. Her lifetime friend, Jan Dahl, also in Arizona will miss her frequent chats with Judy.
She was predeceased by parents, Jim and Pam Allen as well as her nephew Shane. Despite not being back in Arizona very often, Judy held a special place in her heart for her family. She spoke with John and Joan daily, sometimes twice a day or more. As with most, Judy also lost close friends along the way, one of note was her previous partner and companion, Teresa.
Judy came to Canada in the summer of 1974 and made it her permanent home. She worked at various companies, dealing with payroll in one form or another: Block Brothers, City of Vancouver, Hazeldine Press, ADP Canada to name a few. From these jobs she gained friends and managed to maintain contact with most over time.
Judy had an interesting life. She loved being able to fool work associates at workshops when doing the ‘tell me 3 things about yourself’ – 2 true and 1 false. Needless to say the ‘nun’ and ‘police officer’ truths were always the stumpers! Judy was in fact a police officer in Phoenix for a short time prior to her moving to Canada. And yes, she did in fact go to a convent (at a very young age) but soon discovered, for various reasons that it likely wasn’t the life for her!
Movies and books were a great source of entertainment for Judy for most of her life. She looked forward to Oscar season each year and her collection of DVD’s was eclectic to say the least. For many years Judy’s mode of transportation was transit so she always had a book to keep her occupied while on the bus.
Cooking and entertaining were always a part of life with Judy. She was a great cook and hostess. Her talents were often lent to various events such as golf tournaments and other social gatherings where her ‘beef on a bun’ and various appetizers were infamous. She always provided special sandwiches to ‘her’ curling teams when early morning draws were involved. She literally knew nothing about the game of curling yet she was a constant fan and supporter. Despite having 2 left feet (self-proclaimed!) we are pretty sure it was the bonspiel dances that kept her coming back to the rink!
Her Christmas barbecue with double baked potatoes was an annual event for many years, as were her Easter and St. Patrick’s Day meal creations. Judy was always just a phone call away for culinary advice if anyone needed it. She was a “foodie” and a good one at that!
Judy enjoyed the company of all people. She had a very giving (sometimes to a fault) nature and a heart as big as… well, pick something BIG! Without family here in BC, Judy managed to collect a community of friends and in so doing adopted a large family along the way. The Forshaw, Murphy, Shannon, Good and Walker families to name a few. She was always included in any big celebrations; birthdays, weddings or any other sort of family gathering. She loved to visit. Her smile lit up the room and her hugs were legendary. Judy will be missed by many. She leaves friends of 50 years, some she only met recently and everyone in-between. Her closest ‘peeps’ Terri & Diane are left with a large part of their daily lives lacking without Judy in it.
The last few years of Judy’s life were not easy, but she soldiered on. Her loss, albeit sad, has put her in a much better place. May she rest easy knowing she was loved and is remembered daily.
There will be a small, informal celebration of Judy’s life on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, from 2-4pm at the MARPOLE CURLING CLUB, 8730 Heather St. Vancouver.
Please, no flowers. If you so desire, you can make a donation to a charity of your choice in Judy’s honour.
Judy’s family and close friends would like to thank all of those who helped Judy over the past few years. Those who helped get her moved into Harmony Court. The movers, the painters the cleaners! You know who you are. We would also like to thank the staff at Harmony Court, and others, who helped Judy during her time as a resident there. It wasn’t a long time, and it wasn’t easy at times, but we do appreciate all that you did for Judy.