Judy was gracious and kind, and had a quirky sense of humor and a ready smile. She fiercely loved her family and her friends. She easily made friends everywhere she went, and had many who loved her deeply. We have heard from so many of her friends that she was “inspirational.” Judy showed us all how to keep a positive, joyous outlook on life, even through the pain, the chemo, and the knowledge that her cancer was terminal.
Her faith in God was the cornerstone of her life, and she loved going to church - with friends, with family, or alone - she loved it all. She went to several Bible study groups while she lived in Broomfield, and enjoyed her time with those friends also.
Judy was athletic and strong and fiercely independent. She was a dancer at heart - ballet was what brought her joy as a child and into her college years. When she lived in Greeley from 1977-1996, she taught kids ballet classes, then Jazzercize and aerobics. She was a co-owner of The Conditioning Spa, leaving in 1996 when she and her husband Leonard moved to Big Elk Meadows, a community between Lyons and Estes Park, Colorado. After leaving the Conditioning Spa, she walked several miles a day, or attended Pilates, yoga and tai-chi classes - she needed and loved exercising every day.
After the big floods of 2013, she and Leonard and their cats moved to Westminster, with the hope of returning to Big Elk Meadows in time. They assisted BEM with the flood recovery efforts, but established a life in the Westminster/Broomfield area near their family, and decided to stay. Judy made many new friends, and loved her community. She also loved that she was able to more easily be part of her grandkid’s lives - attending Brennen’s gallery opening and college award events, Declan’s choir concerts, Declan and Eva’s games to watch them cheer, and go prom dress shopping with Eva.
Judy married her high school sweetheart, Leonard Arnold, in 1969, and they remained together until his passing in 2016. She is also preceded in death by her younger daughter Lorie in 2005. Judy’s brother, Steve Keeton, moved back to Denver after living in New Jersey for 45 years, so he could be with his sister in the last months of her life. She also leaves behind a daughter and son-in-law, Alyssa and Christopher Ericksen, and her grandchildren, Brennen, Declan and Eva.
In lieu of flowers, Judy wished for memorial donations to be made in her name to The Denver Hospice, as our family has been blessed by this organization’s compassionate and excellent care several times. https://thedenverhospice.org/giving/
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