Judith Sabot

1945 - 2023

Judith (Jude) Aileen Sabot- beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend- died peacefully at her home in Williamstown on September 19, surrounded by her family and caregivers.

Jude was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 21, 1945, to John and Mary Dorothy Plunkett. The oldest of five siblings, she graduated from the Day Prospect Hill School in New Haven, CT, where she captained the field hockey and basketball teams. She received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania and was a key member of Penn's Student Committee on Undergraduate Education. In 1969, she married Richard (Dick) Sabot at her parents' home in Hamden, CT, and the couple lived abroad in Oxford, England and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania before moving to Washington D.C. and then settling in South Williamstown, MA in 1985.

Jude was an extraordinary mother to her four children and a generous, supportive presence for her extended family and friends. She was also a childbirth educator, a graduate student in psychology, a certified wilderness EMT, a speaker of Italian, and a vibrant woman who was passionate about books, music, theater, dancing, travel, animals, cross-country skiing, time in nature, and laughing with her family. She played the accordion and the guitar and was a wonderful singer, leading sing-alongs of Joan Baez and other folk heroes in the early 60s and beyond. A lover of the arts, she served on the board of Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield and was devoted to the African American Dance Ensemble and their visits to Williamstown. For years, she was an active volunteer for the Williamstown Public Schools, especially for the Mt. Greylock Nordic Ski Team.

Jude loved spending time on East Grand Lake in northern Maine, a beautiful, remote place where she went nearly every summer of her life starting in 1960.

In 2005, Jude lost her cherished partner and best friend, Dick. She leaves behind her children: Diana Whitney (and her husband, Tim) of Brattleboro, VT, Topher Sabot (and his wife, Jennifer Mygatt) of Williamstown, MA, Oliver Sabot (and his wife, Kate) of San Francisco, CA, and Julia Sabot (and her husband Jeremy Weinman) of Portland, OR. Jude was a beloved "Nonna" to her ten grandchildren: Ava and Carmen Whitney, Charlie, Jasper, and Annabelle Sabot, Quillan and Luka Sabot, and Finley, Sebastian, and Penny Weinman. She also leaves her four siblings- Jamie Plunkett, Kathleen McKenzie, Tom Plunkett, and Susan Plunkett- and her many nieces and nephews.

She was incredibly loved and will be missed beyond measure.

Please consider memorializing Jude by making a donation in her honor to the New England Nordic Ski Association or to the charitable organization of your choice.