A lifetime resident of the Williamsburg area, Judy Barkley passed away at the Winchester District Memorial Hospital on Saturday, July 23, 2016. She was 71.
Judy was born in Aultsville on December 18, 1944, to her parents Stuart and Ethel Saddlemire (nee Newbury) and lived there until the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway began and the family was forced to relocate and they moved to Williamsburg.
She started school at an early age and because of an extreme love of learning, she advanced quickly and began high school at the age of ten.
Her “yearning to learn” continued all through her life, having taught herself many talents, crafts, mechanics, carpentry, farming, computer tech support and web design.
At 65, she was fixing all the young people’s laptops as well as putting new siding on her garage.
Another passion of Judy’s was her yard and flowers.
She had the greenest thumb of anyone her family joked, because she was once given a piece of a dead stick, she planted it, and the following summer the stick had bloomed into a beautiful hydrangea.
In her free time she loved to read and drink coffee, often with her daughter on the opposite couch, having their daily heart to heart talk or sharing a bag of chips.
She was a witty woman and a great believer in love; among the lucky ones were her kitties (Smoky, Georgia, Bouncer, Ethel and Lovey), her koi, her birds in the yard and her many friends she held dear over the years.
Judy was a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who loved to spend time with her family.
She was a very talented lady and she could make many things out of just plain materials she had on hand including; wedding dresses, men’s suits, Barbie clothes, Teddy bears, the deck on her house, the bridge across the creek, car headliners, play structures, doll furniture, planters, trellises, you name it- all made out of materials that you would find at the dump.
With some brains, TLC, nails, glue, stitch witchery or thread, she could turn junk into treasure every time!
Judy not only taught a good lesson on cost-cutting and being creative, but also how to live right, work hard and love strong.
Throughout her life, she’s dealt with people from many different walks of life and she always gave them hope and a second chance; she believed that ANYONE, given the benefit of the doubt and time to rethink a situation or decision, if you loved them enough, was capable of the greater good.
In addition to being a seamstress for over 50 years Judy served as a volunteer driver with the Canadian Cancer Society for 15 years and as a member of the Friends of the Williamsburg library group that saved the library from being closed a few years ago.
Judy is survived by her children Jeff Barkley (Diana) of Williamsburg, Jaime Casselman (David) of Williamsburg, her step-children Marty Baldwin (Linda) of Mountain and Rhonda Boulanger (Jerrold) of Winchester and her siblings Marj VanderVeen (Jack) of Williamsburg, Chuck Saddlemire (Melody) of Williamsburg, Stan Saddlemire (Dianne) of Winchester and Paul Saddlemire (Jen) of Cornwall.
Judy will be sadly missed by grandchildren Josh (Steph), Jake, Travis, Katie, Beau, Cashelle, Walker, Brodie, Cinnamon, Dakota, Brittany, Miranda (Danny), Marcie (Matt), Priscilla, Will, Katie, Chloe and great-grandchildren Owen, Olivia and Emmett.
She was predeceased by her parents Stuart and Ethel Saddlemire, her step-son Marc Baldwin, her sister Gail Kelly and her brother Art Saddlemire. She is also survived by nieces and nephews.
Friends called at the Marsden and McLaughlin Funeral Home, Williamsburg, on Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
A Graveside Funeral service was held at New Union Cemetery in Williamsburg on Wednesday, July 27th at 11 a.m.
Pallbearers were Jeff Barkley, Stan Saddlemire, Chuck Saddlemire, Paul Saddlemire, Jack VanderVeen, Marty Baldwin and David Casselman.
Donations to the Humane Society or the Williamsburg Library would be gratefully acknowledged by the family. Online condolences may be made at marsdenmclaughlin.com.
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