Judith Proctor

Judy Proctor lived life with an adventurous enthusiasm that enriched the lives of everyone she met. She will be remembered for her youthfulness and conviviality, her love of family, and her loyalty as a friend. She was also an accomplished devotee of the arts. With creativity and spirit she pursued her calling in diverse style, as a painter, sculptor, teacher, curator, gallerist, critic, archeologist, preservationist, iconographer, craftswoman, knitter, calligrapher, upholsterer, needle worker, interior decorator, paper hanger, furniture finisher, and chef. After a brief illness, Judy passed away on March 10, 2018, in Birmingham, Alabama, at the age of 82. Her departure to the next life will leave a large void in the lives of all who knew and loved her. She will be greatly missed.

Judy was born on July 20, 1935, in Oneonta, Alabama, the daughter of Elizabeth Weaver and Jack W. Jones. She grew up in Gadsden and graduated from Gadsden High School. Afterward, she attended the University of Alabama, where she met and married John F. Proctor of Scottsboro. She later graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a BA in Art and then received her MA in art history from Vanderbilt University. She also furthered her studies with post-graduate studies in painting, art history and archaeology at Birkbeck College, London University, London, England.

As an artist she received numerous accolades, including a listing in Women Artists in America and frequent acceptance of her work into juried shows across the Southeast. Her Southern heritage was ever present in her art, which typically depicted the gentle, quiet side of life.

In addition to her studio work, she taught painting, sculpture and art history for many years at Northeast Alabama Community College, where she later served as chairman of the fine arts department. She also served as historic preservation officer/consultant with the cities of Scottsboro and Fort Payne, Alabama, where she successfully listed multiple properties on both the Alabama and the National Registers of Historic Places. She was co-founder and the first director of the Scottsboro/Jackson Heritage Museum; director of the Kell House Museum in Wichita Falls, Texas; director of the Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum in La Grange, Georgia; and director and head of sales for the Rodrigue Studio and Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1997, Judy opened her own art gallery, J. Proctor Gallery at Seaside, Florida, where she represented notable regional, national and international artists. Although she retired from the commercial side of art in 2005, she continued her studio work for the remainder of her life, with a particular focus on pastels, oils, and iconography.

Judy is survived by her husband John F. Proctor of Birmingham; her son James M. Proctor II and his wife Laura Coleman Proctor of Birmingham; her daughter Laura Ellison Proctor of Nashville, Tennessee; her grandsons James M. Proctor III of Birmingham, Custis C. Proctor and his wife Mary Duncan Proctor of Birmingham, and Harrison W. Proctor of Washington, D.C; her great-granddaughter Millan McRae Proctor; and her beloved, four-legged companion, Hoover.

Judy was predeceased by her mother and father, and by her sister Jacquelyn Jones Enochs.

Following a private graveside ceremony, a memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 15, 2018 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. A reception with the family will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Judy’s name to the Birmingham Museum of Art or the Leukemia Society.