Judith Marie Spalding

Judith (Judy) Marie Spalding, beloved sister, aunt, and friend, went to join her Savior, Jesus Christ, on December 31, 2025. She was born in San Antonio, Texas, on November 20, 1954, to Clem and Emma (Rivas) Spalding and attended Blessed Sacrament Parish School. She was a proud graduate of Incarnate Word High School, the University of Texas at Austin, and the SMU Dedman School of Law.
Judy's heart was as big as Texas. A born leader, she was elected President of the UT-Austin Students' Association in 1977. After practicing as a criminal defense attorney in Dallas, she served as Executive Director of the Dallas Legal Hospice, providing free legal services to low-income individuals with terminal illnesses or HIV/AIDS. She frequently spoke, with great compassion, to Dallas community organizations about the legal options and responsibilities for HIV+ persons, their families, and partners.
Judy then became a trial lawyer in private practice, primarily in the area of family law, pursuing justice, often pro bono, for her clients. She especially worked to protect children. She moved to Austin in 2002 to become Commission Counsel for the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct. In her retirement, she volunteered at the Texas Youth Runaway Hotline, listening to teenagers who needed to talk through their problems. Judy had previously mentored a young woman with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dallas.
What we cherish, more than anything, are the memories of her devotion to our parents; her love for her many nieces and nephews, making each one feel special; her encyclopedic knowledge of television programs, films, and movie stars; and her passionate attachment to her dogs-Maggie, Kashi, Pepper, and Hillary-who all adored her. She loved all animals.
Judy is preceded in death by our parents, Clem and Emma Spalding, and our brother Joseph. She is survived by her siblings: Kitty Spalding (Tom Spieczny), Ann Towns (René), Mary Spalding, Theresa Spalding (John Hoffman), Clem Spalding, Jr. (Kathy), William Spalding (Katy), and Nell Hernandez (Ernest). Left to cherish her memory are seventeen nieces and nephews, many beloved cousins, and her dearest friend, Molly Rooke.
Judy especially wanted to acknowledge the special loving care she received from her sisters Ann, in Corpus Christi, and Theresa, in Austin. Her legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched through her kindness, laughter, and love. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made in her memory to the National MS Society: https://donate.nationalmssociety.org/campaigns/Judy-Spalding-Memorial/donate
A Funeral Mass and burial will be scheduled at a later date.
If EVENTS are posted below, floral tributes may be ordered for those services, otherwise, floral tributes will automatically be delivered to the primary family address on file. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Judith, please visit our floral store.