Judith Lee Hand

Hand, Judith Lee ALBANY Judith Lee Hand, 76, of Albany, was surrounded by family and friends the morning of Friday, June 30, 2017, when she passed away at Albany Medical Center. Judith died from pneumonia after living with cancer for many years. Judith was born November 30, 1940, in Cincinnati, Ohio to Corrine True Taylor Hand and Thomas Lee Hand. Judith was an immensely loving and creative mother, sister, and friend. She is survived by her son, Daniel Roth and daughter-in-law, Farah Hussain of Albany; brother, Thomas Hand of Boulder, Colo.; sister, Sara Hand of Randolph, Vt.; close friends, Keitha Sapsin-Fine of Aquinnah, Mass.; Walter Mahoney of Amherst, Mass.; and her first husband, Juan Gomez Quiroz of New York, N.Y. Judith was predeceased by her second husband, William Roth of Albany. Professionally, Judith inspired and nurtured many as a visual artist, a yoga teacher, a practitioner of dance and massage therapies, and a mentor and teacher of natural health. Judith possessed an eclectic passion for diverse cultural and religious philosophies as well as spiritual beliefs from around the world- which she infused into her art and healing practice. These interests carried her from the Mayan Temples of the Yucatan to the Hindu Temples of Tamil Nadu. Her life was full of creative movement. After graduating from Indian Hill High School in Cincinnati in 1958, Judith moved east and completed her first advanced degree in 1962 at Barnard College with studies in comparative religion, anthropology and art history. Her commitment to artistic expression next blossomed at Cooper Union where she received a master's in fine art in 1966. During that period, Judith also taught art in high schools and after-school programs and served as assistant curator at the Hispanic Society of America Museum in New York City. By the 1980's Judith's art was well-known in New York City, Albany, and the greater Northeast. Her paintings, drawings and unique large curvilinear painted and draped cloth shapes inspired by ancient techniques of basketry, weaving, and calligraphy were displayed in over 40 galleries and exhibitions during her life. During decades of artistic work, Judith also studied Tai Chi and Yoga - disciplines which laid a new foundation for the rest of her life. In the 1980's while raising her son, she began to study body-based healing techniques. This led to completing massage therapy training at the Stillpoint Center in 1992. Then in 1996, she received a master's in dance movement and counseling psychology at Antioch University New England Graduate School. While continuing to paint and draw, Judith committed her life to helping others heal. Her home-based practice integrated numerous healing modalities including shiatsu, herbal medicine, nutrition, body psychotherapy, yoga therapy, sound healing, evolutionary astrology, Process Work, Body Mind Centering, Authentic Movement, and Continuum. In the last decade of her life, she also studied Sanskrit chanting and mantra, and integrated them into a weekly yoga class at her home. Judith offered holistic, body-centered care for clients, family, and friends for over 20 years. Throughout her life, Judith loved preparing healthy foods with family and friends. She was always happy when swimming or collecting water-polished stones in the ocean and lakes of New England, and tending to her backyard garden oasis. Judith lived each phase of her life fully. Her commitment to a unique vision found full expression in her art as well as in her devotion to the health of humans and the earth itself. In these ways, her spirit lives on in all those she touched. An interfaith memorial will be held at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Mass. on Sunday, October 1, at 3 p.m. RSVP is required. Email judithhandmemorial@gmail.com or visit www.judithheals.wordpress.com to RSVP and find event details. In recognition of Judith's deep commitment to art, body and health, a memorial fund has been established at Kripalu in her name. Please join the family in support of Judith's legacy by contributing to the Judith Hand Memorial Scholarship Fund. Donations may be made online at https://give.kripalu.org/ noting "Gift in Memory of Judith Hand." Alternately, checks payable to "Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health" with "Judith Hand Memorial" in the note section can be sent to Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, P.O. Box 309, Stockbridge, MA 01262. Life is ending? God gives another. Admit the finite. Praise the infinite. Love is a spring. Submerge. Every separate drop, A new life. Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi