Judith W. Averill1937-2023

1937 - 2023

Judith W. (Wittenberger) Averill

1937-2023

AMHERST, MA -

Judith ("Judy") W. Averill, 86, of Shutesbury, Massachusetts, passed away on June 11, 2023, at Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst.

Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, in 1937, she was the daughter of the late Stephen J. Wittenberger and the late Lillian E. Wittenberger.

Judy is survived by her loving husband of 61 years, James R. Averill; her daughter Annalaura Averill-Murray and her husband Roy Averill-Murray of Quito, Ecuador; her daughter Andrea K. Allen and her husband Alex Allen of Lisbon, Portugal; two grandchildren, Gabrielle P. Allen and James R. Allen; her beloved cat, Murphy; and many extended family members and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Joyce W. Johnson of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Judy graduated from Teaneck High School in New Jersey in 1955 and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wilson College in Pennsylvania in 1959 with a B.A. in Spanish. She spent one of her undergraduate years at Barnard College in New York City, a highlight of her college years. After graduation, Judy spent a year in Germany on a Fulbright scholarship conducting a comparative study of recent German and Spanish literature at Heidelberg University and the University of Cologne. This is where she met fellow Fulbright scholar and her future husband, Jim Averill. She returned to the United States and received her M.A. degree in German from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1963.

Judy married her husband Jim in 1962 and they began their life together in California, moving to Berkeley where Judy gave birth to and began raising her two daughters. Judy and Jim moved to Shutesbury, Massachusetts, in 1971 and lived in their house there for 50 years until just recently.

Here, Judy received certification to teach Latin, German, Spanish, and English through the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Judy went on to teach Latin, German, and introductory Spanish for over 20 years at public high schools in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts, including 19 years as a teacher at Frontier Regional High School in South Deerfield and one year each at Granby High School and Amherst Regional High School.

In retirement, Judy loved to travel both within the United States and internationally with her husband, visiting every continent except Australia/Oceania. She was also a regular member of the Emily Dickinson Museum Poetry Discussion Group and a volunteer with "See Hear Feel Film" at the Amherst Cinema, an educational program inspiring creativity and literacy in area elementary school youth. Judy loved the quiet beauty of the Connecticut River Valley and her home in Shutesbury. She loved nature, wildlife, and the many dogs and cats that spent their years in her company and care.

The family asks that donations in Judy's memory be made to the Dakin Humane Society of Springfield, MA, in lieu of flowers or other gifts.

Ahearn Funeral Home

(413)587-0044