Judith Kay Lindahl

Judy passed on March 21, 2022, surrounded by her family. She was born on July 16, 1941, in Chadron, Nebraska to Arlene (Miller) and Marzhdon Buess, and was the middle sibling to older sister Marlene and little brother Lynn. When she was young, her family moved to Washington, where she spent many childhood years on her grandparents’ farm near Tacoma, before later moving to Chehalis. From a young age, she was smart, creative, caring, and opinionated. She put some of these qualities to work when, after her Grandpa declined to let the kids have puppies in the farmhouse, she and her sister rigged a basket on a rope to pull three puppies in through the upstairs bathroom window, where they angelically declared “oh no, Grandpa” when he asked if they had puppies inside.

After graduating as salutatorian from her high school in Chehalis, she graduated with honors from Washington State University, with a B.S. in Home Economics. She was vice president of her sorority and made many life-long friends at WSU. She also became a huge WSU sports fan - and travelled to the 1998 Rose Bowl where she took in everything from the rally the night before to the parade and of course the game! And even with her Cougar credentials she still had room for her later love of Oregon State sports – she would never skip a radio broadcast of Beavers baseball or football!

Judy was a multi-talented educator and creator. After graduation, she taught at Sunset High School for several years before joining Simplicity Pattern Co., Inc. of New York as an educational fashion stylist. She traveled the country for five and a half years presenting home sewing fashion programs in schools, at 4-H, and elsewhere. She was involved in writing, demonstration, and television work for Fieldcrest sheets. Judy was an early “Martha Stewart” - in 1973 she created a program of ideas and inspiration for do-it-yourself decorators, which she presented across the country and Canada, and which she turned into three books: The Shade Book, Decorating with Fabric, and Energy Saving Decorating. If social media had existed in the 1970s and 1980s, it’s almost certain Judy would have been a DIY influencer! And up until her death, she continued to make and sell photo greeting cards, “Tiggys” (hedgehogs inspired by the Beatrix Potter story Mrs. Tiggywinkle), and countless other crafts.

Judy met Ernest (“Buzz”) Lindahl in 1963 when they were both visiting Seaside. They met up again in Portland when she lost her contact in her apartment pool and called Buzz and his scuba gear to her rescue (although anyone who knew Mom knows she never needed rescuing). They married in June 1969 and car-camped for their honeymoon in Yosemite. They recently returned to Yosemite in July 2021 for a belated 50th anniversary celebration where, after initially complaining their room had no view, she had to admit she spoke too soon and was thrilled with the view of Half Dome from their hotel window (and was happy to not be camping!).

Judy was an animal lover who never stood in the way of a family pet, which ultimately included multiple hamsters, at least three guinea pigs, five cats, a lizard (temporarily, while on vacation in Utah), a rabbit, and a Dachshund. Several pets were rescues, including a large white rabbit she personally rescued from a park, and multiple cats that she took in when others could no longer care for them. The vet almost certainly loved her because she had a large tumor removed from her favorite hamster, Hunny, took the guinea pig, Jelly Bean, for a surprise C-Section, and tried to save Becker, the Dachshund, with spinal surgery and a wheelchair before he sadly passed away. For the past ten years Judy routinely spoiled her “grand dog” Dusty. She would regularly complain about Dusty’s bad habit of jumping up to greet people while simultaneously encouraging him to jump up and hug her whenever she saw him.

Judy’s boundless energy was most often spent on her daughters, Whitney and Heather. She was a Campfire troop leader, sewed countless dance recital costumes, was a traveling soccer mom, hosted incredible themed birthday parties, and sewed numerous semi-formal dresses. She volunteered in Portland Public Schools for nearly 20 years. As part of the Alameda Elementary School PTA people learned to love her … after initially thinking she was “nuts” when she’d show up with hundreds of projects for a craft fair. She somehow got Grant High School to create a volunteer coordinator position for her, complete with a volunteer office in the same suite with the other school administrators, which she fixed up with a donated loveseat and cheerful art and made it a welcoming space for the steady stream of parents she coordinated to volunteer at the school. Although teenagers don’t necessarily appreciate when their parents are always around, our annoyance (usually) was superseded by happiness and comfort, knowing she was always right there if we needed her.

In addition to time with her daughters, Judy was always helping friends and acquaintances in ways big and small, from sharing recipes and articles, to sewing masks in the early days of the pandemic when they were hard to come by, to giving thoughtful gifts or a helping hand or calling just to check in, and many things in between. She was the main caretaker for her mom, Arlene, as Arlene struggled with dementia, and was immeasurably caring to Buzz’s sister, Pauline, as she aged and needed progressively more assistance. If someone needed to move (which, just for her kids, included: to college, from college; to Paris, from Paris; to New York, from New York; to London; to D.C., from D.C.; and finally back to Portland), Judy would be there in an instant to help organize and pack. She’d probably also throw a garage sale – something she did annually, complained about constantly, and loved. She got immense joy from meeting new people and acting as a matchmaker between those people and the items at one of her sales. She’d tell you about the cute young man who found dance shoes, for example, or the sweet girl who found the perfect piece of furniture.

Judy’s adventurous spirit led to many travels, including: a road trip across Canada and then down to the 1964 New York World’s Fair; a memorable girls’ trip to Mexico in 1965 where they nearly lost their luggage after it didn’t make their flight before convincing some handsome strangers to drive to the airport and personally ensure it made the flight to LA; and a 1966 trip to nearly all European countries, including behind the Iron Curtain, which included crossing into East Berlin through Checkpoint Charlie and visiting the Soviet Union, where she and her friends sneaked out to visit Red Square without the official tour group. With Buzz, Judy traveled to Mexico, Hong Kong, Korea, and China, as well as nearly every national park, including hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (twice!) and backpacking across the Olympic Peninsula. After Buzz semi-retired, Judy and Buzz traveled extensively, often using Heather’s London residence as a jumping-off point for incredible trips in England, Holland, Belgium, Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, among other places. She hilariously loved riding the scenic public bus line no. 11 in London, and was constantly trying new foods and restaurants. Judy and Buzz enjoyed going to Hawaii each January for 20 years, and were happy to get back to Kona in January 2022 after a hiatus for COVID.

When the doctor showed us Judy’s scans at the hospital before she passed, he commented on how healthy her brain was for an 80 year old. She would have been immensely proud of that. She also would have said, “I told you so”. Perhaps her healthy brain was helped along by how active she was until the end – working daily cross-word puzzles, playing Wordle with Heather, voraciously reading books and articles (often clipping interesting articles to pass on to others), and caring deeply about national politics and world events. It is a tragedy that ultimately her brain failed her.

Judy was beloved by those who knew her. Her life was full, and vibrant, and she touched many people. We hope she rests in peace and that she is being looked over by all of the pets and loved ones who predeceased her. We will honor her life in a Memorial Service/Celebration of Life on Monday, July 18, 2022 (details to follow), near what would have been her 81st birthday. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the ASPCA or the Oregon Food Bank.