Judith Nielsen Daughtridge

Many words describe Judy: lovely, smart, talented, nurturing, compassionate, funny, loyal, fierce, stubborn and brave.

Judy began her life of adventure Oct. 21, 1939, in Oak Park, Ill., when she was born to Marie Spooner Nielsen and Edwin Nielsen. In the days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Judy's father Eddie tried to join the military, but was rejected because of poor eyesight and other factors. Instead, he decided to contribute to the war effort by farming, growing vital crops.

Judy and her brother Don moved with their parents in 1942 to a succession of farms in Missouri and Illinois. Her education began in a one-room Missouri schoolhouse, on land carved out of the Nielsen’s 359-acre farm. Judy and her brother were 25 percent of the students in that single space. Judy had fond memories of her mom heating bricks in the fireplace (the only source of warmth) and placing them under bed covers to warm her through the night. Her eyes would light up describing newborn piglets kept cozy in a box in the kitchen; and milk so thick it was like warm milkshake. Judy’s brother Don said, “We left city and suburban living with most of the amenities of the time, and ended up in a very bleak existence: dirt roads that were either dusty or muddy, no indoor plumbing, no electricity, no running water, and wood stoves for heating (no fireplaces). All our farming was done with horse-drawn implements.”

In 1945, the Nielsens relocated to a smaller farm near Liberty, Ill. Don wrote of the new spread, “we did more farming with less livestock to care for. We had more cats than cows.”

After Don started college at the University of Illinois, Judy’s parents left farming, “much less fun than either of our parents thought” and settled in a suburban home outside Kansas City. By the time high school arrived, Judy was a student at Shawnee Mission High School in Overland Park, Kansas. A lover of history, she thrilled at seeing the ruts left by wagons traveling west on the Overland Trail.

The Nielsens returned to Chicago in the mid-1950s, and Judy finished her education at Steinmetz High School, where she excelled in schoolwork and was extremely social. As prom chairman, she auditioned bands at the Edgewater Beach Hotel. And she occasionally cut class to travel downtown, waiting for admittance to the London House at Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue. It was love at first jazz concert. Judy became a lifelong fan of Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and in later years, Pat Metheny.

Judy’s father Eddie died of a heart attack when she was a senior at Steinmetz. Heartbroken, she and her mother moved back to the Kankakee-Clifton area to be closer to her mother's family. Judy started work at the local radio station. Her brother Don, a Naval intelligence officer, invited her down to Norfolk, Va., where he and his wife Mary Lois were stationed. Judy jumped at the chance, and began working at the Virginian Pilot newspaper in the advertising department.

Don Nielsen arranged for a blind date for Judy on New Year's Eve 1957, pairing his sister with a shipmate, Lt. J.G. Gerald R. “Sid” Daughtridge of Rocky Mount, N.C. She liked him at once, but found Sid's manner a little reserved. After getting a bit tipsy, she had a response ready when he said he didn't follow any religion: "well, I guess you're going to hell, aren't you?"

After their first few dates, Sid shipped out with Don. Months went by. She heard from Don's wife that their ship was arriving. Judy felt it presumptuous to meet him at the dock, a ritual unofficially reserved for wives, fiancés and immediate families. As she left work at the Virginian Pilot that day, Sid was waiting outside in his dress whites. "Why didn't you come to see us in?" he asked. As Judy stammered a response, he whipped off his hat and gathered her in his arms, planting an amorous kiss. She later called it her " 'Officer and a Gentleman' moment".

Engaged shortly thereafter, they were married on base in Virginia in 1958. Sid converted to Catholicism to avoid that "going to hell" prediction. Robin Elizabeth arrived in August 1959, delivered at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital. As Judy labored, World War II blackout curtains still in place fascinated her.

Sid was aboard ship much of their early marriage. More children were born in quick succession; Sean Patrick, Kelly Ann, Tracy Allison and Dennis Michael. While pregnant with Tracy, mom was excited to learn they’d be stationed in Yokohama, Japan, at Yokosuka Naval Base. Judy's respect for Japanese culture blossomed. She was soon engaged in flower arranging, doll making and tea rituals. Judy loved Tokyo, taking her children to Japanese films like "Mothra" and visiting the The Great Buddha of Kamakura. Shortly after Judy became pregnant with Dennis in 1967, Sid received news of his next post: The port of Da Nang, Vietnam.

After Sid went on to Vietnam, Judy packed up their household, the 4 children and her pregnant self and relocated to Virginia Beach, Va., to await war's end. Dennis was born in Virginia Beach, but Judy always referred to him as "made in Japan". She was a benevolent but firm "single" parent for years, enrolling her children in Catholic education and shuttling them from scouting meetings to athletic events to English horseback riding lessons. She was proud to be a Navy wife and created her own support network among many wives on base, including several women whose husbands were prisoners of war in Hanoi. She cried with joy at the 1973 news that L. Cdr. Jack Fellowes had been released from Vietnam's "Hanoi Hilton", celebrating with Fellowes' wife Pat.

The Daughtridge family moved to Great Lakes Naval Training Center in 1975, where Judy set up household in Nimitz Village as Sid worked the military side of O'Hare International Airport. A few years later, he became commanding officer of Supply at Great Lakes and Judy joined the Great Lakes Officers' Wives Club. As its president, she moved the organization towards a philanthropic mission, fundraising for the Navy Relief Society and other groups. Judy felt the inherent stoicism in military families often meant they wouldn't seek help when needed. She was out to change that.

Sid retired from the U.S. Navy in 1982 and the family moved to Raleigh, N.C., returning to the Daughtridge roots. Less than a year after retiring, Sid had a fatal heart attack and the family was thrown into tumult. Judy persevered, gathered her strength and moved back to Deerfield, Ill., where she entered the workforce for the first time since the 1950s. She was licensed as a cosmetician, and did a brisk business as high school football players lined up to have lightning bolts and team logos razored onto their scalps. Judy worked for many years as an executive assistant at Chef's Catalog in Northbrook, excited to meet the many chefs whose wares were featured in the catalog.

It was at Chef's Catalog in the early 1990s that she met her next life partner, Evo Magrini, a representative for the Cozzini Bros. knife company. They traveled extensively, including Evo's hometown in Italy. They loved a road trip, a great meal and serendipitous meetings with strangers who then became friends. They built a log-cabin home on a lake in Harshaw, Wis., and Evo turned Judy into an expert fisherman.

Judy and Evo moved to Harwood Heights, Ill., when Evo's health declined. After Evo's death in 2005, Judy moved to San Antonio, Texas, but she missed Chicago. In 2013, she came full circle, and moved in with her son Dennis and his partner Dale Meyer in the Andersonville neighborhood. Seeking more independence, she resided at The Breakers on Sheridan Road, on the spot where she once auditioned bands for her high school prom. She adored her view from the 29th floor; and called in news tips to the Chicago Tribune when she saw police action at Foster Ave. Beach.

Although Judy had many health struggles over the years, her spirit was evident and her bright eyes flashed with joy when seeing friends or loved ones.

She instilled in her children many traits:

A drive for success, fueled by hard work and education

Tolerance above all; respect others

Empathy, compassion, relentless curiosity

Welcome change; move forward

Trust your gut, but check twice

Judy is survived by all her children: Robin Elizabeth Daughtridge (and her husband Phil Velasquez) of Chicago; Sean Daughtridge (Kathleen Staniec Daughtridge and children Ben, Kevin and Rachel) of Cincinnati, Ohio; Kelly Ann Arriaga (and her children Amanda Arriaga and Anthony Arriaga) of San Antonio, Texas; Tracy Allison Daughtridge (and her daughter Shannon Sterbenz) of San Antonio, Texas; and Dennis Michael Daughtridge (and husband Dale E. Meyer) of Chicago; her older brother Donald Nielsen (USN Capt., retired) of Flint Hill, Va., and his daughter (her niece) Mary Beth Nielsen.

In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in Judy’s name to www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Visitation and memorial service Saturday, May 2, 2015, from 1 p.m-4 p.m. at Drake & Son Funeral Home, 5303 N. Western Ave., Chicago 60625. Prayers and remembrances at 3 p.m.

Judy will join her husband Cdr. Gerald R. Daughtridge at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date.