Judy Ray Harward

Judy Ray Burton Harward will be remembered as a woman guided by faith, steady resolve, and quiet strength — a life defined not only by remarkable accomplishments, but by the way she inspired others along the way.

Born March 15, 1947, in Glendale, California, to Martha Jane Rice Burton and Nelson Spencer Burton Jr., Judy grew up in a home that valued discipline, education, and perseverance. She demonstrated determination early as a long-distance swimmer, training rigorously alongside Olympic teammates and competing in the demanding 1500-meter freestyle at a time when opportunities for women in the event were limited. The endurance she developed in the pool became a defining characteristic of her life.

After graduating from Glendale High School, she attended UCLA before pursuing nursing at the California School of Nursing in Los Angeles. There she met Brent Harward at the USC Latter-day Saint student ward. The two were married on October 21, 1967, and later sealed in the Los Angeles Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Judy received her RN from the California School of Nursing, began her nursing career at California Hospital, and later returned to the school as an instructor. She earned her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin and later rose to become Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Southern California. Though her tenure as Dean marked a professional pinnacle, Judy’s heart remained with teaching and direct patient care. Upon permanently relocating to Austin, Texas, she intentionally returned to the bedside and classroom, serving as a professor at Austin Community College and a labor and delivery nurse at St. David’s Medical Center, guiding families through some of life’s most meaningful moments.

While in high school, Judy joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This conversion became the steady compass of her life, expressed through decades of devoted service and numerous leadership callings. She and Brent served a four-year Bishop’s Storehouse mission before completing a year of educational volunteer service at Shandong Medical University in Jinan, China, where they taught English to medical students.

From early morning practice at the Los Angeles Athletic Club to Lake Austin in Texas, water remained a central love of her life, continuing to slalom ski into her mid-seventies. Their home on Lake Austin became a gathering place where Judy’s generous hospitality made family and friends feel instantly welcome and countless memories were made.

She was disciplined with her time and resources, strategic in her planning, and met difficult challenges with resolve, achieving ambitious goals with grace and steadiness.

In her final years, she faced significant health challenges, including breast cancer and the gradual progression of dementia and physical decline. Even as much was taken, her light endured, and her quiet humor remained intact.

Preceded in death by her parents, Martha Jane Rice and Nelson Spencer Burton Jr, she is survived by her husband of 58 years, Brent Rigby Harward; her siblings, Larry Burton and Kathy Burton Freitas; her children, Tiffany Harward Anderson and Gregory Brent Harward; and her grandchildren, Corban, Luke, and Jeremy Anderson and Nelson and Alora Harward.

Funeral services will be held on March 21 at 11:30 am at the Chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 8140 Racine Trail, Austin, Texas 78717, with a viewing immediately prior at 10:30 am.

Burial will follow at Cook-Walden Capital Parks Funeral Home & Cemetery, 14501 North Interstate Highway 35, Pflugerville, Texas 78660.

With gratitude for a full life well lived, her family commends her onward, confident that her life marked by faith and unwavering strength is now received in heaven.