Judith "Judi" Lynn Ginader Truesdail, 77, of Gordonsville, VA, passed away peacefully at home on the morning of April 20, 2022. Her husband, George, and their two children were at her bedside.
Judith was born July 10, 1944 in
Carlsbad, NM, to Martha Jane Cruikshank Ginader and Wilbur Jonathan Ginader while stationed at the Carlsbad Army Air Field base during World War II. The family later moved to
Chattanooga, TN and in 1952, on to
Charlotte, NC. She attended South Mecklenburg High School, graduating in 1962 when she also volunteered as a Charlotte Memorial Hospital candy-striper. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Lenoir Rhyne College, Hickory, NC in May of 1966. While there, she was a member of Delta Zeta Sorority, was on the staff of the college newspaper, and served in student government. Judith met her husband George during her freshman year at Lenoir Rhyne. They were engaged in the summer of 1966, marrying that same year on December 23 at First United Methodist Church, Charlotte.
Once they were married, George joined the U.S. Navy as an officer and deployed for 17 months as Judith remained in
Charlotte, NC, where she taught biology at Spaugh Junior High School. Later, the couple moved to Virginia Beach, VA where they began their family with the birth of daughter Jennifer in 1969. From there, they followed George's career to Silver Springs, MD, and then to
Albany, NY, where son Joshua was born in 1971; on to
Fair Haven, NJ,
Turnersville, NJ,
Los Angeles, CA, Massillon, OH, Oklahoma City, OK,
Raleigh, NC, and back home to
Charlotte, NC where they remained for 31 years. Judith was a member of St. Martin's Episcopal Church, serving on the Altar Guild. She was an avid volunteer at her children's schools, specifically Providence Day School. Once George retired in 2006, they bought farmland in Gordonsville, VA where they built their retirement home and ran a hobby farm where George continues tending to sheep, chickens and honeybees. Judith was a member of Grace Episcopal Church in Keswick, VA where she also served on the Alter Guild.
Judith loved the arts, with talents in watercolor painting, drawing, poetry, and was a gifted calligrapher, commissioned for many wedding and special event invitations. In the digital age, she wrote a blog for 15 years, sharing her thoughts on life, her passion for writing, as well as her artistic photography.
Judith's pride was her homestead, which she considered her sanctuary. Though she travelled the world with George, her true comfort was staying at home. You could often find her in her artist's studio making greeting cards with her photographs, while overlooking the rolling hills of the Virginia countryside. A lover and collector of American folk art, she was most proud of her collection of unique pitchers from all over the world.
She was considered the family historian, keeping organized records and photographs of ancestors on both sides of the family; online genealogy became a hobby later in life. She loved ice cream and Johnny Mathis songs, both the beach and the mountains of North Carolina, and enjoyed spending evenings with George on their front porch watching the sun set and spotting rainbows after a summer storm. Judith prided herself for being on the cutting edge of technology, owning the first Macintosh Computer in the early 1980s and becoming an Apple loyalist ever since. However, first and foremost, she was a wife, a mother, and a grandmother, something from which she would never retire.
One of her fondest memories was of her first date with George, something they would celebrate each year of their 55 years of marriage by splitting a bag of Cheetos and sharing a Coca Cola every March 9th.
Judith is survived by her husband, George Franklin Truesdail of Gordonsville, VA; daughter Jennifer Lynn Truesdail of
New York, NY; son Joshua David Truesdail (Julio Fernandez) of
Raleigh, NC; brother Stephen Jonathan Ginader of Banner Elk, NC; and granddaughter, Judith "Louise" Truesdail of
New York, NY. Judith was preceded in death by her father, Wilbur J. Ginader, in 2001; her mother Martha Jane Ginader in 2008.
After her 16-month battle with a glioblastoma, Judith's family wishes to extend sincere thanks to neurosurgeon, Dr. Osmond Wu, MD; oncologist, Dr. Erika Struble, MD; oncology nurse, Michelle Bascle, RN; Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital and Sentara Martha Jefferson Cancer Center; Trove Home Healthcare, and Hospice of the Piedmont for their participation in her care.
Memorial contributions may be given in lieu of flowers to Hospice of the Piedmont, 675 Peter Jefferson Parkway, Unit 300, Charlottesville, VA 22911.
Funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, April 30 at Grace Episcopal Church in Keswick, VA with G. Miles Smith, Rector, officiating. Immediately following, there will be a graveside service at Grace Episcopal Cemetery, and a reception in the Grace Episcopal Church Parish Hall. Arrangements are by Johnson Funeral Home,
Locust Grove, VA.
Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit; for without being seen, they are present with you. -St. Francis de Sale