Alice Judkins

1939 - 2015

Alice Judkins
1939-2015
Alice Ferree (Alley) Judkins passed away peacefully on September 9, 2015 at her home in San Antonio, Texas after a tenacious struggle with cancer. Alice was an award winning nurse. Her career focused on women's health, and her skills spanned the globe as she worked in hospitals at home and abroad, even serving on a ship circumnavigating the oceans. She distinguished herself in private practice, at Planned Parenthood, Kelsey-Seybold in Houston, and hospitals in Tasmania, Hawaii, and London. The last 25 years of her career were spent at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Alice's focus on each patient's overall medical well-being and her commitment to placing the patient at the center of the team approach was regarded as a model for health care professionals. She was widely published and recognized as an outstanding teacher and mentor. Her awards include a fellowship in the American College of Nurse Practitioners; the Ethel Fleming Arceneaux Outstanding Nurse-Oncologist Award sponsored by The Brown Foundation, Inc.; and finalist for the Julie and Ben Rogers Award for Excellence. In 1991 she helped establish a Long-Term Breast Evaluation Clinic at MD Anderson. In 2000, a lecture series dedicated to advancing women's cancer care and supporting mid-level health providers was established in Alice's name by a significant gift to the hospital from former patient. After retiring in 2001, she continued her commitment to women's health, working on research at Baylor College of Medicine and providing services to low-income women at The Rose.
Alice was born in Anderson, Indiana in 1939. She attended the public schools graduating from Madison Heights High School in 1957. She married David Judkins in 1960 and set out on a life of adventure, happiness, and success.
She and her husband spent two years working in Tasmania, Australia and Hawaii. During this time, Alice continued her nursing career at local hospitals and the Kaiser Clinic in Hawaii.An adventure of a different kind began in 1965 as they returned to Michigan where their first daughter, Bronwyn, was born and David began his graduate studies. They welcomed their second daughter, Claire, in 1969.
In 1971, Alice journeyed with her young family to Houston, Texas. Here she presided over a home filled with laughter, had a blossoming professional life, and made life-long friends. After her retirement from M.D. Anderson and David's retirement from the University of Houston, the couple settled in San Antonio where they have resided for the last five years. Alice leaves her two daughters, a son-in-law, John deFigueiredo, and four grandchildren Madeline, Andrew, Michael, and Elizabeth. A memorial service will be held for Alice on Friday, October 2 at 3:00 at the First Unitarian Universalist Church 5200 Fannin Street. Memorial donations to honor Alice can be made to:
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Alice Judkins Lecture Series on Cancer and Women
P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX. 77210-4486. (www.mdanderson.org/gifts)