Dayton, Ohio, Judy Ann Schultheis, 73, educator, world traveler, renowned storyteller, sister, aunt, and friend of many passed away peacefully October 18, 2022, in the Dayton Hospice Hospital after a long battle with congestive heart failure. Judy was born on September 18, 1949, in Dayton, Ohio, five minutes before her twin brother, Jim.
Her ashes will be interred at Green Haven Memorial Gardens, Canfield, OH on April 21 following a funeral Mass at St Christine Church, Youngstown, Ohio.
Judy graduated from Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1967 and Glasgow College (NJ) with a BS in Business in 1973. She worked for Northern Telecom for many years as a programmer and corporate trainer, a job that took her across North America, to the Far East, Europe, Central and South America. On an assignment to Houston, Texas, she contracted viral pneumonia. The virus attacked her heart and forced her to medically retire. However, the disease did not sideline her.
She volunteered hundreds of hours in the Fairfax, Virginia, school system as a tutor and mentor for at-risk girls caught up in the Juvenile Justice System. For many years, she served in leadership positions with the Fairfax County (VA) Sheriff Department, including President of the Community Advisory Group (CAG) where she wrote dozens of grant applications. Her work resulted in the Sheriff's office receiving millions of dollars for police safety equipment such as bulletproof vests, secure radios, and body cameras. In 1998, she was honored as the Fairfax County "Volunteer of the Year."
Judy loved animals, especially cats, and volunteered countless hours in no-kill shelters in Virginia and Ohio. She sewed hundreds of blankets and pillows that were given to families when they adopted a cat. She came close to becoming a "cat lady" by adopting or fostering dozens of cats over the years. Many of her "furbabies" will be interred with her ashes. She also "adopted" dozens of soldiers and airmen serving in Iraqi, Afghanistan, and Honduras. She sent Care Packages every week to individuals and occasionally entire units deployed to war zones. Judy was well known by friends, relatives, and even total strangers for her eloquent "Judy Stories" that covered topics as diverse as her early childhood memories, World War II trivia, and current national politics. She could come up with a Judy Story on almost any subject at the drop of a hat. A staunch conservative, her greatest fear was that she would vote Democrat after her death.
She was predeceased by her parents, Werner and Alvira (Goubeaux) Schultheis and is survived by her twin brother, Jim, sister-in-law, Janice, niece, Lisa (Christian) Got, nephew, Erich (Kristine) Schultheis, grandnephew Alexander Schultheis, and grandnieces Amber Schultheis and Gabrielle Got. She also leaves behind her adopted sons, Edward (Stacy) Schultz, and Eric Schultz, and grandchildren, Krysta, Kyle, Coleman, Caleb, Peter and Oscar Schultz, and lifelong friends, Carol Dumez, Mary Jane Schultheis, and dozens of loving and supportive cousins and friends.
The family requests material tributes take the form of contributions to the Dayton Hospice Hospital, any no-kill animal rescue organizations, or the charity of your choice.
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