Judith Anne Carver

Judith Anne Roots Carver (Judy) died peacefully at Casey House on December 13, after living for 11 years with stage 4 breast cancer. She is survived by her beloved husband of 41 years, Stephen George Carver of Bethesda, MD, and Conway, SC; her daughters, Meredith Leigh Carver of Takoma Park, DC, and Elizabeth Stewart Carver of Lakewood, CO; her sister and brother-in-law, Stephanie Elizabeth Roots Karsten and David Walter Karsten of Washington, DC; her brother and sister-in-law, David Henry Roots and Linda Skinker Roots of Ashton, MD; her half-sister, Catherine Eva Roots Recker, of Hamburg, Germany; a stepbrother, Patrick L. Clawson, of Washington, DC; many beloved in-laws, nieces and nephews; and more beloved friends, associates, and mentees than any one of us who knew her would hazard to count.

Judy was born in Washington, DC, to Nora McGirr Roots Clawson (1917-1989) and Peter Charles Roots (1921-1993). She lived in Montgomery County, MD, for over 65 years—mostly in Bethesda. As a child, Judy enjoyed recreational and competitive swimming and loved to sing. She had a beautiful soprano voice and could occasionally be persuaded to overcome her shyness and sing a solo at a school or church recital. Her siblings called her Yudit and Mrs. Jones for reasons that are too involved to explain here. She always said she loved being the middle child.

Judy graduated from Walter Johnson High School and earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and master’s degree in Human Development from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD. While in college, she joined Sigma Kappa sorority and participated in sorority chapter affairs and events throughout her entire life. Judy’s sorority sisters were lifelong dear and special friends.

Judy taught elementary education at Fields Road Elementary School in Gaithersburg for 10 years. She worked in the field of cardiac life support administration for the past 30 years and served as Maryland faculty for the American Heart Association. Judy coordinated CPR and other life support training for Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and Montgomery College before leading the firm CPR-AED and Safety Education, a post she held until she died. Judy was honored to serve as a member of both Leadership Montgomery and Senior Leadership Montgomery. She was active and held leadership positions in numerous civic organizations, including the General Federation of Women’s Clubs state and county organizations and her beloved Metropolitan Community Club of Montgomery County, Inc; Bethesda Cares; Transformations; and the Bethesda United Methodist Church.

Judy was an avid competitor for her entire life. In recent years—and despite her legion of devoted friends—no one who knew her MO would endure a game of Monopoly with her because she knew every square and move and insisted on a quick game that left competitors in the dust. She loved to play Scrabble, Bingo and the slot machines. She hated to travel by air but enjoyed being in southern California, Germany, the Bahamas, and Hawaii once the plane had landed and before she had to think about the trip home. She loved spending time in Maine with her family, from childhood trips to Christmas Cove to recent trips to Belfast. She adored eating Maryland Blue Crab and Maine Lobster. She also adored fast food and the Duke Blue Devils basketball team.

All who knew and loved Judy think of her as a giver. Her name is synonymous with charity. She is widely admired for tireless efforts on behalf of people in need of anything—from an understanding ear to a piece of clothing or equipment or a ride or a toy or a home to live in. In the final week of her life, despite mobility challenges, Judy was still doing in-person deliveries and planning the next distributions of presents, charitable services and goods, and fundraising initiatives. She was a thoughtful, devoted, and generous friend to people she knew and people she did not know. Judy had a wicked sense of humor and saw the ridiculous in ways that brought joy to many who knew her.

There will be a memorial celebration of Judy’s life on Monday, December 20, at 2:00 p.m. at Bethesda United Methodist Church, 8300 Old Georgetown Rd in Bethesda, MD.

Please remember Judy with a donation in her memory to someone in need at the charity of your choice.