Judy D. Rude

Judy Diane Rude, 66, of Montague, passed away at St. Clares Hospital on Thursday, December 2, 2010, after an eight year long fight with Stage IV breast cancer. Born on September 9, 1944, Judy was raised in Lafayette, NJ, then lived in Towanda, PA, from 1978 until moving to Prescott Valley, AZ, in 1986, where she lived for two years before returning to Towanda. She had been a resident of Montague since 2003. Judy was a lifelong member of Lafayette Federated Church. A 1962 graduate of Newton High School, she obtained her RN at East Orange Nursing School in 1965 and her Bachelor of Nursing from Elmira College in 2005. Judy had a long and successful career as a Maternal Health/Labor & Delivery/Pediatrics Nurse at Newton Memorial Hospital in Newton, NJ, Towanda Area Hospital in Towanda, PA, and Yavapai County Hospital in Prescott, AZ. Judy was predeceased by her husband of 39 years, Richard Rude, in 2004; Mom and Dad Belcher (Daisy & Sylvester); her father, Jess Untalasco; her stepfather, Joe Hill; her brother, Fred Belcher, and brothers-in-law, Richard Mertens, Jr., Bill Decker and John Larsen. She is survived by her children, Diane Rude of Harleysville, PA, Kyle and Julie Rude of Williamsport, PA, Kevin and Dyan Rude of Sayre, PA, and Becky and Sheri Staples of Rochester, NH. She is also survived by her six loving grandchildren, Lauren, Connor , Emma, Kaden, Keegan, and Karter; her mother, Helen Hill of Lafayette, NJ; her siblings, Sylvester and Shirley Belcher of Rapid City, SD, Ida and Mel Carpenter of Lafayette, NJ, Mabel Mertens of Tampa, FL, Edith Decker of Middleburg, FL, Joan and Ed Green of Lafayette, NJ, Margaret Larsen of Lafayette, NJ, Ken & Joy Belcher of San Antonio, TX, Jess and Gloria Untalasco and Fajardo of Puerto Rico, and Keith and Kelley Roberts of Prescott, AZ; her sister-in-law, Grace and Jim Phillips of Towanda, PA; her good friend, Bob Cutler of Sparta, NJ; and a great number of loving nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Lafayette Federated Church, 180 Route 15, Lafayette. Interment will be held in Branchville Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Smith-McCracken Funeral Home, 63 High Street, Newton. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, 785 Springfield Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901 or the American Cancer Society, 7 Ridgedale Avenue, Suite 103, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927.