Julia H. "Judy" Manchester

Judy departed this world on Saturday December 4, 2010 in Petaluma, Calif., where she made her home for the past five years. She was born March 9, 1929 in Baltimore, Md., grew up in Minneapolis, Minn., and spent 56 years in Windsor, Simsbury and West Hartford, Conn. Her parents were Rev. Paul Huffman and Julia Huffman. She is survived by her husband, Lewis Manchester; brother Paul and sister-in-law Jessie Huffman; along with her daughters Christine (Gary Nakarado), Leslie (Sergio Martinez), and son Paul (Nancy). Beloved grandkids are Jeff Shenton (Jamie), Nate Shenton, Kirtley Ceballos (Dustin), Christian Nakarado and Alex Manchester. Judy was remarkable. She was inducted into the National Honor Society in Washburn High School in Minneapolis and attended the University of Chicago on full scholarship. She left college in 1948 to marry Lew and they settled in Connecticut. In addition to raising three outstanding children she was a founder and first president of the Simsbury Junior Women's Club. After her youngest child began school in 1961, she entered the workforce and was hired as a computer programmer when computers were first employed by insurance companies for data processing. After advancing to Systems Analyst she made a career-change decision and joined the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund, a nonprofit organization funded by the insurance industry to promote fair housing in Connecticut. After serving as Hartford Area Director for several years she formed her own company, Century 21, The Real Estate Company, in West Hartford, and later owned a branch agency in Glastonbury, Conn. In 1981, determined to complete her college education, Judy enrolled in Hartford College for Women and graduated with an Associates degree with honors. She then matriculated at Smith College, Northampton, Mass., where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, receiving her degree in Philosophy and Religion in 1987. She later taught Comparative Religion courses at Hartford College and helped raise her grandchildren. Not wanting to get away from education, she volunteered in the Whiting Lane Primary School library for several years and served as Chairperson of the UConn Adult Learning Program, the lifelong learning program for seniors in Hartford and Bloomfield. Judy was a longtime councilmember at Grace Lutheran Church in Hartford. A memorial service will be held for Judy on Friday December 10, at 2:00 p.m., in Springfield Place, 101 Ely Blvd. South, Petaluma, Calif. Charitable donations in Judy's memory may be made to C.O.T.S. (Committee on the Shelterless), 900 Hopper Street, Petaluma, Calif., 94952.