Judy Swords Mitcham

Judy Swords Mitcham passed away on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. She was born on May 3, 1952, in Frankfort, Kentucky, to Otis Lee Swords and Joyce Catlett Swords.

The daughter of a minister, Judy moved frequently during her youth, living in Millville, Kentucky; Monroe, Georgia; and Vicksburg, Mississippi, before ultimately settling in Charlotte, North Carolina. She graduated from Myers Park High School and later studied nursing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she met her husband of 46 years, David Mitcham.

The couple moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, where they started their family. Judy completed her Master of Science in Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and went on to serve as department chair of the nursing program at Guilford Technical Community College.

Judy battled health challenges throughout much of her adult life, yet her positive spirit and outlook were evident to all who knew her and remained among her most defining qualities. In her later years, she studied alternative healing practices and spiritual philosophies, with healing - both for herself and others - becoming a central focus of her life.

She is survived by her daughter, Laura Bradshaw; her son-in-law, Bart Bradshaw; and their daughter, Savannah; her son, Jason Mitcham; her daughter-in-law, Erika Mahr; and their children, Neiko and Minna; her brother, Jim Swords; her sister, Amy Coor; and her mother, Joyce Swords. She was preceded in death by her husband, David Mitcham, and her father, Otis Swords.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you honor Judy’s memory by engaging in an act of healing meaningful to you- whether for yourself, another person, an animal, or the earth. Or simply take a walk outside and think of Judy.