Judith Anne Evans

Judith Anne Leach, 84, passed away peacefully at home on the morning of October 31, 2024. She lived her life with a sense of adventure and shared her contagious positive perspective with all who knew her.

Judy was born to H. Kenneth and Mary K. (Faul) Leach in Elmira, NY in 1940. She graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1962 and later earned her MBA from Syracuse University. Family was her bedrock while she pursued a successful career in finance and business administration. She began her career as one of the first female analysts at Morgan Guaranty on Wall Street.

In 1965, Judy married Nolly Seymour Evans at St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City. She and her beloved husband enjoyed fine food and wine, classical music, travel, life-long learning, and each other's company while growing their large family. They also enjoyed sailing. Judy loved feeling the wind in the sails and the smell of salt in the air.

Judy worked until her oldest child, Samantha, arrived. She and Nolly had two more girls (Meredydd and Clelia) within 4 years, and then her son, Nolly, arrived several years later.

Throughout her life, Judy was passionate about education, taking evening courses on sailing, French, music, and business. She also dedicated her time to support youth education and development through Cornell, Girl Scouts, and local non-profits. She saw travel as part of her life learning, visiting many parts of the United States, Europe, and Asia.

She loved entertaining, having learned to cook French cuisine from Julia Child’s television show. She and Nolly held frequent soirees with friends and community leaders. She also participated in numerous cultural and historical organizations, including the Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music, Syracuse Camarata, the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, the Freedom Hill Chapter of NSDAR, and many other organizations.

Once her youngest child was in school, Judy assumed leadership roles in hospital administration. She worked at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY. Later, she joined the Whitaker Biomedical Engineering Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, serving as lead administrator. While managing the Institute’s daily business she also led the planning and construction of Clark Hall, giving the Institute a center on the Homewood Campus. Judy also served on the board of the Keswick Hall Retirement Community.

In recent years, Judy was an active member of St. Columba's Episcopal Church in Washington, DC. A lifelong sports enthusiast, Judy cheered passionately for the Jets, Ravens, and Orioles. Judy led an exceptionally active civic life, but her greatest joy was spending time with her family.

She is deeply missed by her children and grandchildren: Samantha Ross (David) of Washington, DC, and their children Annalise and Julia Ross; Meredydd Evans (Pietro Lojacono) of Potomac, MD, and their children Bernard and Sara Lojacono-Evans; Clelia Walters (William) of McLean, VA, and their children Charles Evans Walters and James Kenneth Walters; and Nolly Seymour III (Michelle) of New York City, and their daughter Avery Evans. She is also dearly missed by her siblings David Leach (Jacqueline) of Williamsburg, VA, and Mary Farrell of Port St. Lucie, FL, along with numerous other family members and friends.

Judy will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery in the coming year, beside her husband Nolly who passed away in 2014. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to causes that meant the most to Judy, which include the John Fetting Fund for Breast Cancer Prevention.