Harvey Jay Elliott, known to everyone as Jay, passed away on April 1, 2024, at the age of 82 in New Albany, Ohio. He was born on September 12, 1941 in Constantine, Michigan. Judith Lee Elliott, known to everyone as Judie, passed away on December 22, 2023, at the age of 81 in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. She was born on April 1, 1942, in Minot, North Dakota. Jay was a kind, inquisitive, and resourceful man, who brought his family on exciting, formative adventures around the world. Judie was an elegant, witty, charming, and adventurous woman who lived a life full of joy and excitement. Both Jay and Judie together touched the lives of all who knew them.
A celebration of Jay and Judie's life will be held on Sunday, May 19, 2024 from 2 – 5 pm at the New Albany Country Club, One Club Lane, New Albany, OH. In preparation for this special event, we kindly request that you share any great photos and stories you have of Jay and Judie. Your contributions will help us create a truly memorable tribute to their remarkable lives. Please email those to James at [email protected].
Obituary for Harvey "Jay" Elliott ~
Jay's interest in travel began with a teaching post with the Peace Corps in Nigeria, making use of his degree in chemistry, physics, and math from Michigan State University. He met his wife Judie when he returned to the US to earn a master’s degree in international business at the University of Michigan. He found a job with Goodyear that would take him overseas: the birth of their son James was followed by a move to Stockholm Sweden, where daughter Kerstin was born. Four years there were followed by four in Bogor, Indonesia, and six in Mexico City, after which he was promoted to Goodyear’s headquarters in Akron, Ohio.
With the family settled in Hudson for the kids to finish school and head off to college, Jay joined Lincoln Electric in 1994 as international chief financial officer and made immediate contributions to improve efficiency. At home he was always tinkering with things, including a beloved 1961 red Corvette, and finding ways to improve them or use them in unorthodox ways. His own curiosity made him well prepared for the endless questions his children had as we learned to navigate the world.
Several friends from around the world ended up in the area, and others near the winter homes Jay and Judie established on Captiva and then Sanibel Islands in Florida. Judie and Jay built a summer home in Aurora, Ohio, where they lived the rest of their lives.
His beloved Judie abruptly passed away in December of 2023. She would have celebrated her 82nd birthday on April 1, the day that Jay also passed away. They’d celebrated her birthday together for almost 60 years, so in our minds, Jay clearly did not want Judie to be alone on her birthday. Their love and dedication to one another was a beautiful thing to experience. We are heartbroken that we have lost both of them, and in such a short period of time. Having spent a great deal of time with Jay after Judie’s passing, it was clear he was lost without her. We miss them both so much, we are lucky to have had such wonderful, generous, kind, loving parents/grandparents. We must remember the reason it hurts so much to lose them is a direct result of how much we love them.
Jay is survived by his children, James (partner, Chris Wieser), and Kerstin (husband, Scott Friedman), grandchildren Will and Riley Mathews and Davis, Lena and Miles Friedman, his sister Mary Pitts, and brothers Gary and Marc. He was preceded in death by his father, Harvey, his mother, Mary Jane (Zerbe), and his brother Michael.
Obituary for Judith "Judie" Elliott ~
Judie met her husband Jay in Flint Michigan where she was teaching retailing at Flint Junior College and he was teaching math at Longfellow Junior High. The birth of their son James was followed within a year by a move to Stockholm, Sweden, where daughter Kerstin was born after another year and a half.
Just as Judie was mastering the tricky language, the family moved to Bogor, Indonesia, and a whole new set of challenges, including setting up home schooling for the kids until a group of friends could pool resources and import some teachers from Australia to start the Bogor Expatriate School. After four years there, a move to Mexico City put the family much closer to the US and offered better options for schools and other resources, though Spanish was yet another language for everyone to learn. We have fond memories of the amazing parties Judie hosted at our homes, filled with warmth brought by the wonderful friends she made during her travels.
Her love of tennis was one of the ways she met people and stayed active and healthy for so long. Bridge games were another fun way to get to know people and work on strategy as a couple. It was too complicated and subtle for the kids to wrap our heads around though! But we were very much able to appreciate the beautiful piano music she regularly filled our homes with, ranging from ragtime to the Star Wars soundtrack, and this helped foster our own interest in music.
Moving back to the US after six and a half years in Mexico, the family settled in Hudson, Ohio for the kids to finish school and head off to college. Some of Judie’s friends from around the world ended up in the area, and others near the winter homes Judie and Jay established on Captiva and then Sanibel islands in Florida. Judie and Jay then moved to Aurora, Ohio where they lived until Judie's passing.
Judie is survived by her loving husband, Jay, and their children, James (partner, Chris Wieser), and Kerstin (husband, Scott Friedman), and grandchildren Will and Riley Mathews and Davis, Lena and Miles Friedman. She was preceded in death by her father, Evert Smith, her mother, Jessie (Sears), her sister, Carol Sue Caldwell, and her sister, Jill Smith.
In lieu of flowers, if you wish to honor Jay and/or Judie with a donation, please consider donating to Zusman Hospice at 1151 College Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43209, or to the Sanibel Sea School or The Big Arts Sanibel Island non profit entities.
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